The Ride Tioga bus system may be facing a cut in funding, and a loss of the program all together. The bus system had been funded primarily by Medicaid until recently, and when Medicaid patients had non-emergency medical appointments, they could take a Ride Tioga bus on Medicaid’s tab. Medicaid patients will still be able to arrange for rides, but instead of using Ride Tioga, they will have to use taxis. According to officials, New York State has given management of the non-emergency rides to a service in Syracuse, Medical Answering Service, as opposed to giving that task to the individual counties. As the state looks to cut back on spending, they have deemed that taxi transportation will be cheaper than the bussing system in a number of counties statewide, including Tioga. Ride Tioga costs Tioga County about $440,000 each year to operate, and until the end of last year, Medicaid reimbursements were able to cover that cost entirely. Tioga County Legislative Chair Martha Sauerbrey released a statement saying that even with increases to rates and elimination of some routes, Tioga County would still be left with a bill of $370,000, about a 1.7 percent tax increase. Sauerbrey says that of the 200 people using the bus system each day, about 75 riders are commuting to and from work. She advises any concerned citizens to contact their legislator or the Tioga County Legislative Office to give feedback on the issue.
