Editor’s Note: John Metzinger, General Manager/CEO of Citilink, was featured in The Journal Gazette on August 24, 2024. In this compelling opinion piece, he addresses the critical state of public transportation in the Greater Fort Wayne area. Mr. Metzinger highlights the growing demand for expanded transit services, particularly from senior citizens and people with disabilities.
He outlines the financial challenges facing Citilink, including a significant budget deficit for 2025 due to rising costs and stagnant state funding. Despite community support for increased services, without additional revenue, Citilink may be forced to reduce its services next year, potentially impacting the most vulnerable residents.
Mr. Metzinger calls for broader community and governmental support to not only preserve but to also expand public transportation to better serve the region’s needs.
The full article is posted below and can be read on the Journal Gazette’s website HERE.
If you’d like to learn more or join our growing coalition of transit champions and supporters, please click HERE.
A Stronger Link
John Metzinger | August 24, 2024
People board a Citilink bus at Central Station on Baker Street this week.
Stan Sussina | The Journal Gazette
During my tenure at Citilink, I’ve witnessed growing demand and support for public transportation.
Organizations such as the City of Fort Wayne, Allen County, Visit Fort Wayne, Greater Fort Wayne and many nonprofit human service providers have prioritized expanded transportation service in their plans. This need was further reinforced during the 2023 municipal election when voters, especially senior citizens and people with disabilities, made it clear they wanted increased service.
Our nonprofit transportation partners have also heard this message.
In response, the Community Transportation Network recently completed a regional transportation assessment in partnership with Citilink and other northeast Indiana transportation providers, which identified alarming mobility gaps in our region and made recommendations for public transit expansion.
Simply put, many are joining this movement. Our community is setting a clear mandate to enhance mobility through improved public transportation.
However, Citilink is at a critical juncture. We are facing a significant budget deficit for 2025 as a result of increasing costs, more than a decade of flat state funding, and revenue significantly reduced by circuit breaker, growth quotient and other legislative constraints.
Half of U.S. transit agencies, including several others in Indiana, are facing budget shortfalls in coming years. Despite the community’s strong demand for increased service, Citilink will be forced to reduce service levels next year without additional revenue.
Citilink is doing what it can to address this deficit — constraining costs, proposing a fare increase and working to raise additional contract revenue with key business partners. These efforts will help — but not fully resolve — the deficit.
Indiana law states that public transportation corporation boards shall approve a special levy to defray expenses in the case of a budget shortfall.
Our board is moving in this direction, and City Council will review our 2025 budget for final approval.
As this is considered, I invite community leaders and citizens to ponder two questions:
1) If Citilink’s service is reduced, how might the most vulnerable in our community be affected?
Citilink provided 1.6 million passenger rides last year, and ridership continues to grow. Yet insufficient public transportation is already a great barrier for citizens.
The consequences of service reduction would be devastating.
Our neighbors relying on Citilink would have less access to housing, education, skills training, jobs and necessities such as health care and groceries.
2) What if our community could finally solve its transportation and mobility challenges and provide robust public transportation to serve its needs?
The community is looking to Citilink to solve these challenges, but we need broader community support to do it.
Our community should think beyond just preserving service and expand it through increasing service frequencies, adding service in underserved areas and increasing service times.
Indiana underinvests in public transportation compared to neighboring states. Citilink’s leadership is working with the northeast Indiana delegation of elected officials and the Indiana Department of Transportation to resolve this, underscoring public transportation’s importance to rural and urban Indiana communities.
Other Indiana cities, such as Bloomington and Indianapolis, are investing in expanded public transportation. As Indiana’s second-largest city and fastest-growing regional economy, Fort Wayne’s citizens need — and deserve — improved public transportation.
While community leaders and Citilink grapple with preserving existing service levels, let’s use this challenge and its inherent opportunity to develop a greater vision of how expanded public transportation could provide an excellent experience for riders and deliver greater value for the community.
Ours is a community that is moving forward in many positive ways — let’s make sure no one is left behind.
John Metzinger is general manager/CEO of Citilink.
