CORINTH — City leaders decided to rein in costs for bus service for seniors and people with disabilities by capping the number and types of trips they will subsidize each year.

In addition, the City Council informally agreed during a workshop session Thursday night to direct the city staff to begin contract talks with SPAN — Special Programs for Aging Needs — to provide that service.

Currently, the Denton County Transportation Authority provides bus service through a contract with the city that, once a person applies and is qualified to ride, does not limit the number of trips or the destination.

Corinth has seen its costs to provide the service skyrocket in four years.

Residents got rides not only for doctor visits or to get to work, but also to go from one private residence to another or to go shopping, including at Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville. 

In addition, DCTA officials told Corinth that, beginning with the 2008-09 fiscal year, it no longer was able to subsidize the service with grants and would have to charge the city its actual costs. Corinth paid $23.81 for each one-way trip in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.

City Finance Director Lee Ann Bunselmeyer told the council to expect the DCTA bill for each trip in 2009-10 to go up to $29 or more.

“We know DCTA is buying new buses and will incur other costs for the service as well,” Bunselmeyer said.

A contract with SPAN, based in Denton, would allow Corinth to reduce the one-way cost to $17.50, with the rider still paying $2.50. SPAN would monitor the rides, which would be limited to 16 trips per month per rider, with some exceptions.

Riders would only be able to take the bus to medical appointments or their job.

Those whose conditions require regular treatments, such as chemotherapy or kidney dialysis, and those people with disabilities who work five days a week would be exempt from that cap.

Instead, the city will work with monthly and annual caps in the contract to manage those costs, Bunselmeyer said.

Bunselmeyer told the council that DCTA was willing to renegotiate its contract with the city to include the new limitations, but it wouldn’t be able to guarantee a trip rate as low as $17.50.

By going with SPAN, however, the city would no longer have weekend service available and weekday service would be available for fewer hours.

Council member John Booher said he was comfortable with that, since the limitations in destinations implied that the city was providing service when it was harder for family and friends to give that support.

“With the grocery store and such open at alternate times, family and friends can still be the support network,” Booher said.

PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com.