CRESTVIEW — After years of budget shortfalls and dwindling ridership, public bus service in Okaloosa County could be on its way out.
County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to host a public hearing July 15 on the elimination of all fixed-route service.
The hearing, during which residents will get to make comments and ask questions, will be in Fort Walton Beach during the board’s regular 6 p.m. meeting.
“Due to a projected budgetary shortfall, it is no longer feasible to operate the fixed-route system without substantially increasing local funding,” Growth Management Director Elliot Kampert told the board.
Under the proposal, Okaloosa County Transit — the nonprofit that runs the bus system — would lose its five routes in Fort Walton Beach, the route to Okaloosa Island, three routes in Destin and the express route from Crestview to Fort Walton Beach.
The cuts would not affect the county’s door-to-door paratransit service, which is funded by a grant from the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged. That program aids people who cannot obtain their own transportation because of disability, age or income.
Kampert said the county has received no commitment from local cities to help cover the cost of the fixed-route service.
In March, commissioners notified the mayors of Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Shalimar, Cinco Bayou, Mary Esther, Valparaiso and Crestview that municipal assistance was needed to keep the buses running.
The county has spent more than $2 million to fund the transit system since 2007. Those funds are used to match state and federal grants that help pay for the service.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.