The newly elected chairwoman of the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation said the agency still needs a consistent source of funds to keep the regional bus service in operation.
Becky Smothers, mayor of High Point, was elected chairwoman of the agency's board Wednesday.
"If we're going to keep wheels on the road, it's going to take money and a dependable source of it," Smothers said.
That may include going back to the counties the agency serves and asking again for direct payments to help pay for bus service, Smothers said. PART officials tried to do that last year, with little success, as the counties faced hard times of their own.
Smothers takes over for Darrell Frye, a commissioner from Randolph County who had been board chairman for the past three years.
Last year was a difficult period for PART, but there are signs that things are improving.
A local audit released Wednesday covering the 12-month period that ended June 30 showed that the agency had addressed some financial concerns uncovered last year. The audit found that the agency overdrew on two federal grants and was overdue in some of its required reporting to federal transit officials, but those problems were corrected early this year. And despite fare increases and reduced routes, ridership last year increased by 12 percent over 2010, according to agency statistics.
PART is also looking for other ways to shore up its finances. That may include selling its park-and-ride lot in northern High Point. Smothers said a developer has contacted the agency about possibly purchasing the site at North Main Street and Old Plank Road for a shopping center.
Those talks are in the early stages, Smothers said.
Joining Smothers in leadership positions on the board are Paul Johnson, a commissioner in Surry County, vice chairman; Don Truell, a Davidson County commissioner, treasurer; and Dianne Bellamy-Small, a Greensboro city councilwoman, secretary.
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