Blog Extra!!! LTD Driver writes to Governor

This copy of a letter was sent to The Joe Hill LTD Project. I post it here for you all to see.

To: Governor Ted Kulongoski

Re: Conditions at Lane Transit District

I am writing you to share my concerns about the worsening conditions at Lane Transit District. My foremost concern is the lack of diversity found in the makeup of the Board of Directors. To my knowledge, no one of color or ethnic diversity has been appointed to the Board. It also seems that LTD management likes to handpick business people from the community who never even ride the bus system except for the occasional "dog and pony" show for candidates for the Board. In fact only one Board member at present is a regular rider who did confide in me once that he was reluctantly going to serve a 3^rd term because no one else could be found who was a rider of the system. Does this not seem odd to you that with all the workers and university people who ride the bus on a regular basis that no one could be found? I urge you to delay appointments for the upcoming 3 vacancies and consult with labor groups about potential candidates for the Board.

Another concern I have is that the Board has allowed LTD management to misspend monies resulting in extravagant waste of taxpayer dollars. The purchase of untested hybrid electric busses that now sit unused in the bus yard because they had continual problems and spent more time in the garage than they did servicing our riders. Now LTD management has shipped one of these busses down to California to see if a company there can resurrect it from the dead while they have wasted $2.6 million of taxpayer money. The next boondoggle coming down the pike is the BRT system guaranteed to save 3 minutes riding time at the tune of $5 million dollars a mile! I'm all for alternative transportation systems but this is one system that needs to be put on hold until the financial mismanagement has been sorted out. My suggestion is to fire the whole Board of Directors is as your prerogative and appoint a new Board that is more representative of the ridership.

Our once "world class" bus system has again suffered a service reduction because management, with the Board's acquiescence, is raiding the general operations fund for non-functional equipment and untested transportation theories. Why should a Lane County company provide the LTD payroll tax when its workers cannot be guaranteed to get to work because the bus system has once again cut its hours?

I am an employee of Lane Transit District but am not submitting my name due to the fear of reprisal. I urge you or a representative to look into the problems of our district and to take corrective action. Thank you for your time.