Hammond bus service won't end in June

By Susan Brown, Times of Northwest Indiana
susan.brown@nwi.com

HAMMOND | On the heels of the resignation of Regional Bus Authority President Dennis Rittenmeyer, Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. on Thursday announced bus service won't end in Hammond in June.

McDermott's remarks, made at a Mayor's Commission on Disabilities breakfast, were confirmed by the commission's president, Ruth Tall.

"It's wonderful," Tall said, adding the breakfast was attended by at least 400 guests. "Of course, they were very happy."

McDermott could not be reached for immediate comment, but Hammond Transit Director Keith Matasovsky said talks about not shutting down the service have been in process for about a month. Some included the RBA, he said.

"The mayor wants to continue the service after June 30, but there really haven't been any formal plans laid as to how that's going to happen," he said.

The city's bus service had been written out of this year's city budget and is currently supported by $400,000 in gaming dollars from both the mayor and the City Council.

At the time of the agreement worked out by McDermott and the council, it was contended that the six-month timeframe until service ended in June was designed to allow the state to act to fund regional transit.

This week, with the funding controversy mounting, Rittenmeyer announced he will step down from the RBA by June 1. Legislation regarding the oversight of regional bus and commuter rail remains pending in the Indiana House.