LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Starting Sunday, new changes are being implemented to the Transit Authority of River City's busing schedule. Three routes are now discontinued while 19 others are seeing a decrease of frequent stops.
TARC riders are trying to be patient while waiting for their bus as they navigate the changes coming to their traditional routes.
TARC headquarters said they had to make this decision because they lost about 20% of their funding that came from the American Rescue Plan. That extra money will no longer be available to multiple organizations.
Air Force veteran Christopher Williams has been a rider since 2016. He said these modifications to the routes will impact how long it takes for him to get to work and home.
"To get to my job I may have to get up earlier," Williams said. "I may have to wait longer to get home and just to save money. I know I'm not going to call a Lyft if I know that TARC is coming an hour and a half later. I'll just sit at the bus stop, be patient and relax."
Williams is just one of many riders across Louisville who are now facing changes in their lives to fit the new schedules.
Ugo Onwuka, a TARC rider and University of Louisville grad student, said these changes are making it difficult to do general chores and get to school.
"I live like roughly 10 minutes away from campus but because of where I live and how the buses are set up it takes me roughly an hour to get where I need to go," Onwuka said. "Like it has to bring me downtown and then I get to go."
For Bill Kiper access to public transit determines if he can afford a roof over his head.
"I'd be homeless again yeah," Kiper said. "If I didn't have my bike, and if I didn't have TARC to get around I wouldn't be able to get nothing done."
Williams said he uses the public transit to save money.
"A brand new car payment is going to cost you $500 a month," Williams said. "Full coverage insurance is $500 a month. If you only make $2,000 a month that's 50% of your income gone. So you save money by riding TARC. It's going to hurt a lot of us."
Left with no choice these three riders, like hundreds of others, are now forced to rearrange their schedules so they can meet their basic needs.
To take a look at the new schedule changes click here.
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