The future of public transit in Nevada County was one of the topics discussed Wednesday night’s Nevada City City Council meeting. The Deputy Executive Director for the county’s Transportation Commission, Aaron Hoyt, provided a presentation. He noted how ridership took a major hit during the first year of the pandemic. He says it’s recovered to some degree, but revenue remains relatively flat. He also summarized a recent feedback survey of around 300 respondents. Among the findings were more frequent and later stops. Also, having regional connections to health care, employment, and destinations outside the county and an improved experience at the bus stops…

Looking at the immediate future, or in the next one to three years, Hoyt says the goal is to streamline Routes 1, 2, 3, and 4, with more frequent stops, or from every 30 minutes to two hours to 30 minutes to an hour and a half. But he also noted no real changes for riders in Nevada City. Other preferred changes include a reduction in services to just peak hours for regional routes to Penn Valley, North San Juan, and Auburn. Councilmember Gary Peterson said he liked the concept of micro-transit, which also came up during the presentation. But he also noted challenges…

And when asked if ridership does not improve significantly, a more assertive effort will need to be made to explore other funding options. That would include interlocal agreements, public-private partnerships, increasing the sales tax, and State and Federal programs.