OC Today-Dispaatch NOVEMBER 29, 2024
STUBBORNLY LOCAL, EQUALLY INDEPENDENT
Sign up now for our new, Monday-Friday newsletter. — Page 12
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PHOTO COURTESY TOWN OF OCEAN CITY
SLIDE SHOW Children slide and wait to ride at this brightly lit triple slide at the Winterfest of Lights at Northside Park last week. The annual festival, which began 32 years ago, has expanded to include numerous new attractions this year, including the above.
Ocean City starts hunt Slow going Worcester hungry for for its next police chief With the Oct. 31 departure of 11-year veteran chief Ross Buzzuro, Ocean City’s mayor and council get ready to solicit applicants with help from a search firm.— PAGE 20
That’s how the year ahead will be for road and highway projects needing state funding, SHA rep tells mayor, council. — PAGE 12
food trucks Officials trying to make it happen. — PAGE 26
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OC Today-Dispatch
NOVEMBER 29, 2024
NOVEMBER 29, 2024
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OC Today-Dispatch
OC ends non-resident senior bus discounts Officials report 113 of city’s 1.1 million annual riders used program last season By Bethany Hooper Associate Editor (Nov. 29, 2024) Ocean City will do away with half-priced bus fare for non-resident senior citizens. In a work session Tuesday, the Ocean City Council agreed to act on a recommendation from the town’s transportation committee and eliminate half-priced bus fare for non-resident riders ages 60-64. Officials argued the change would not have a significant impact, as only 113 of the 1.1 million bus riders took advantage of the discount this summer. “We just feel it would be a step to eliminate just that one little piece of complexity that doesn’t seem to be very useful,” Transportation Manager Rob Shearman said. In addition to a federally imposed policy that bus riders ages 65 and older are entitled to half-priced fare without the need for a special card, the town’s policies and procedures manual also outlines certain provisions for those over the age of 60. First, it provides Ocean City residents and property owners ages 60
and older with free bus fare. Second, it provides non-residents ages 60 and older with half-priced bus fare. Both policies require that those eligible obtain a bus pass. In June, however, Shearman presented members of the Ocean City Transportation Committee with a recommendation to amend the city’s policy on half-priced bus fare for non-residents ages 60 and older. While staff said they wanted to continue to provide that service, they recommended eliminating the need to administer a physical bus pass to do so. When the committee opted to take no action, the recommendation was brought to the Mayor and Council for discussion. However, the recommendation gained no traction at the council level either, and the policy remained unchanged throughout the summer season. During October’s transportation committee meeting, Shearman told committee members that just over 100 non-residents had applied to receive a senior bus pass at the four distribution locations throughout town this summer. While acknowledging that the policy was not heavily utilized, he reiterated the city should continue offering the half-priced
fare, but without a card. After a lengthy discussion, the committee this fall made a recommendation to do away with the nonresident policy altogether. Officials argued they did not support a change that required bus drivers to take on the added task of verifying the age of non-resident riders. “If we only have 113 people getting the card, why don’t we just give the break to Ocean City residents 60 or older, and everybody else it’s 65 and older,” Mayor Rick Meehan said at the time. “They follow the federal guidelines.” Shearman said he would support that recommendation, as it would reduce the amount of paperwork employees are tasked with at the four distribution locations. Back before the Mayor and Coun-
cil this week, Shearman presented officials with the committee’s recommendation to eliminate the non-resident bus fare policy. He said the change would result in a slight reduction of printing costs and a positive impact on bus revenues, as those individuals would now pay full price to ride. “Once they turn 65, as a publicly funded transit agency, we have to provide them half-fare bus service, whether they have a card or not,” he added. With no further discussion, the council voted 6-0, with Councilman Will Savage absent, to eliminate halfpriced bus fare for non-residents ages 60 and older. “For as little as it was utilized, we thought it just made sense to do away with it,” Shearman concluded.
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