Funding needed for Handitran

For the past 20 years, Arlington has been providing low-cost transportation services for the elderly and disabled through Handitran, a program that has been paid for with city and state funds along with a hefty grant from the Federal Transit Administration.

The federal dollars were eliminated in 2012, when legislation did away with an exception that allowed cities like Arlington, Grand Prairie and Mesquite to receive FTA grants to subsidize fuel, bus driver salaries and other operating expenses.

The North Central Texas Council of Government's Regional Transportation Council has made up the shortfall — about $655,000 for Arlington's Handitran — but it was understood that funding was "temporary," with no guarantee it would be available beyond this year.

Arlington would be hard-pressed to provide similar service for its 16,000 eligible Handitran riders, who last year made 124,000 one-way trips.

Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, has introduced a bill to restore the lost federal funding to Arlington and its North Texas neighbors.

It's legislation that should be passed in order to continue providing this needed service.

The true long-term solution to this problem is for Arlington to develop a mass-transit system for all its residents.