ARNOLD (KMOX) -- An Arnold bus service that serves 500 to 600 riders a month is going away -- and some that depend on it are planning to make their voices heard on the matter Thursday night at city council.A group of advocates plans to protest the closure of Jeffco Express's Arnold route -- that closure scheduled for Friday. The Arnold City Council in December voted to stop funding its portion of the service citing low ridership and waning grant money. City leaders tell KMOX they've looked for viable replacements -- including through Uber and Lyft -- but nothing would work. Some also question why the company that took over the bus service in January -- OATS -- can't fill the gap themselves. The current Arnold route runs five daily loops around the city with 30 stops each. Once that's over Jeffco Express runs two routes -- one that starts in Arnold and one that ends in Arnold, but they won't have nearly the service level in the city itself.Ward 2 Alderman Tim Seidenstricker, who voted to end the route, told the Leader tax dollars should be used to benefit the entire city -- and he claims the city was spending upwards of $70 to $80 per person per ride.The Arnold City Council meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. Thursday.© 2020 KMOX (Entercom). All rights reserved.
