To link or not to link.

 

That is the question facing officials in Sherburne and Stearns counties regarding the feeder bus service for the NorthStar Commuter Train.

 

Officials from both counties met last week at St. Cloud Metro Bus headquarters to discuss the future of the North Star Link. The bus service was established in 2009 to carry commuters from St. Cloud to Big Lake. It has stops in East St. Cloud, St. Cloud State University and Becker.

 

Annual ridership on the Link grew over the years, from 25,722 in its first full year, to 59,280 in 2014. Last year, ridership fell for the first time, dropping to 53,848.

 

At last week’s meeting, NorthStar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA) Chair Leigh Lenzmeier said those figures could be the result of a combination of declining enrollment at St. Cloud State and the low price of gas.

 

Another issue, said Tom Cruikshank, managing director of operations and Planning with St. Cloud Metro Bus, could have been maintenance issues.

 

“We’ve had more road calls, so the customers have been inconvenienced.” he said. “I don’t think we can afford to lose any more customers on this service.”

 

Ed Yorek, director of maintenance, agreed, saying problems with the buses have affected reliability.

 

“If we can’t maintain reliability, we’re going to lose ridership,” he said, “because it’s not that hard to drive to Big Lake if they don’t feel comfortable that they’ll get there by bus.”

 

That’s one of the issues the group spoke about last week - the age and condition of the buses. Currently, the Link uses six buses. The average age of those buses is 16 years. Three were purchased used in 2009 from Syracuse. The others were bought in subsequent years from Southwest Transit.

 

Last year, in addition to regular maintenance, there were major repairs to some of the buses. 

 

“We just put $9,000 into one engine and replaced two transmissions at $10,000 each,” said Yorek. “And you’re going to see more of those coming up.”

 

The issue facing the NCDA is whether to discontinue the Link, continue to pay high repair costs or purchase new buses.

 

Operating costs were $278,261 in 2015 and are expected to top $300,000 this year.

 

Estimates for new buses are about $600,000 each. Under an agreement with the state, MnDOT will pay 80% of those costs, assuming the NCDA enters into a five-year operating commitment.

That leaves the NCDA partners share at $120,000 per bus. Five new buses will cost $600,000.

 

The other big issue is funding. Currently, four counties contribute to operating costs for the Link. This year, Stearns County will pay $98,010. Sherburne’s share is $92,826. Anoka County will pay $44,685 and Hennepin’s share is $11,356.

 

But that might change if Anoka and Hennepin counties decide not to continue to provide Link funding. Sherburne County Director of Public Works John Menter attended a workshop in January.  He said those two counties are not interested in ongoing funding of the Link.

 

If that’s the case, Sherburne and Stearns counties will have to foot the bill on their own - if they decide it’s worth the commitment.

 

“The challenge this group has is, if we’re going to buy new buses, obviously we can pony up the 20% if there’s the political will to do that,” said Stearns County Administrator George Rindelaub.

 

But the initial cost is just one factor. Ongoing maintenance costs will continue, even if new buses are purchased.

 

 

Cruikshank said the preference would be purchasing three new buses next year, then one each the following two years.

 

“Three would be a better option for us in the first year,” he said. “If we can increase the miles with new buses, I think we can make the older buses last an extra year or two.”

 

Issues that need to be resolved are: Who will own the buses and who will be part of the funding formula? Going forward, will Sherburne and Stearns counties be paying all the operating costs, or will Anoka and Hennepin counties pick up part of the cost?

 

Menter said there is a meeting of the NCDA in April. Discussing the future of the Link will be a big part of that meeting.

 

Taylor said the issues have to be resolved soon, since the counties will begin their budgeting process in May and June.

 

“We need to see those  out-year operating costs. If we were to buy new buses, what is the cost implication over the five-year span?” he said. “I think this group needs to see those numbers.”