The Flatwater Free Press reports that following a 30% budget reductions last year, transit agencies received word from the Nebraska Department of Transportation this spring that another round of cuts is coming in fiscal year 2027.
The Blue Rivers Area Agency Public Transportation System which is one of the largest in the state, is receiving $26,000 less than requested and expects to start in the hole in July.
Statewide, some transit agencies are raising fares, cutting service hours or considering closing altogether.
Since fiscal year 2022, Nebraska's annual federal funding has hovered between $11.1 million and $11.9 million, with around $9 million to be split among the 49 rural transit agencies.
Nebraska's rural transit agencies receive three streams of funding for reimbursable expenses: federal, state and local match dollars. Usually, local matches from counties, cities or villages represent the smallest piece of the pie and cover what the others don't.
But with federal and state dollars stretched thin, agencies are looking for greater support from local governments.
The Blue Rivers Public Transportation system has also raised rates and cut service hours in several of the southeast Nebraska towns it serves.
