Citizens for Community Transportation wishes to thank voters for approving Tuesday’s transit millage request in parts of Kalamazoo County.
“We're very grateful for the all the support given by voters,” said Greg Rosine, chair of the Central County Transportation Authority. “Metro provided 2.6 million rides last year. It speaks volumes of the people in our community who understand the value of personal mobility in the greater Kalamazoo area. The passage of this millage will ensure that busses will continue to run and our neighbors will be able to use public transportation to get to work, class, and medical appointments.”
Voters approved up to .90 mills for five years beginning in 2021 to support the Metro public bus transportation system. According to preliminary results, voters approved the funding by a more than 2/3 margin. The millage also allows Metro Transit to secure support of state and federal funding.
“Thank you to everyone who voted, as well as those who donated and endorsed the campaign,” Rosine said. “Public transportation is vital to ensure everyone in our community can be an active participant.”
Voters approved the millage in the cities of Kalamazoo, Portage, and Parchment, Kalamazoo Township, and portions of Oshtemo and Comstock townships — the region that makes up Metro’s bus line service authority.
The passage of this millage request is critical to being able to continue to provide bus service to those who rely on it: Seventy percent of Metro riders use the bus more than five days a week and 88 percent of riders do not have access to a vehicle.
In recent years, funding has allowed Metro Transit to expand service to Sundays and later in the evening.
Citizens for Community Transportation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan ballot committee formed to support local funding for local transit in Kalamazoo County.