Approximately 100 elderly or disabled residents gathered for a public hearing at the Bangs Community Center in Amherst on Thursday to discuss the potential loss of extended PVTA routes on weekends, holidays and during the summer beginning July 1, 2004 as a result of proposed budget cuts, according to The Daily Hampshire Gazette. Included in the proposed cuts are neighborhood bus routes in Amherst, all summer weekend bus-service to the town of Amherst, South Deerfield's PVTA route and all Sunday and holiday bus-runs for all of Hampshire and Hampden counties.

Currently, individuals must present a student identification card from one of the five colleges to ride the PVTA for free, while town residents must pay for bus and van service. PVTA administrators hoped that this additional revenue would compensate for the funding cuts, according to The Gazette.

At the hearing, Karen Jones, chairwoman of Amherst's public transportation and bicycle committee, explained that continued use of the PVTA is the only way to maintain the bus routes. She urged hearing attendants to encourage other residents to utilize the PVTA system. "You use it or you risk losing it," she said, according to The Gazette

Town residents who currently use the buses regularly are concerned. "I have ridden the bus to work every day for the last 19 years," said Kate Berry of South Amherst at the hearing on Thursday, according to The Gazette. "What am I going to do if the West Street bus is cut?"

According to The Gazette, PVTA administrator Gary Shepard sent a letter to Governor Mitt Romney in December, asking that he allot more state tax revenue to the western part of the state. Since Shepard has yet to hear a response from Romney, town members are taking action of their own.

At the hearing, Isaac BenEzra, the president of Massachusetts Senior Action, announced his plans to organize a lobbying effort, according to The Gazette. He plans to ask for a moratorium on PVTA funding cuts while legislators work toward a solution. According to The Gazette, BenEzra also said he would consider holding a Boston Tea Party on the Coolidge Memorial Bridge to draw attention to the PVTA funding problems.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the PVTA is required to provide van service for disabled residents living within three quarters of a mile of existing bus routes, according to The Gazette. Al Byam, director of UMass transit, a PVTA subcontractor, said the PVTA will continue to provide van service for elderly and disabled residents as long as towns continue to have at least some bus service, according to The Gazette.