A reduction in federal funds will shrink Cy-Ride’s day-to-day operations budget, but the Ames mass-transit system has secured additional funding for maintenance and important purchases.

The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate Conference Committee reached an agreement last week on the 1996 Transportation Appropriations Bill, which helps fund Cy-Ride.

Cy-Ride will tentatively lose $81,000 of its $3.1 million yearly operating budget, said Bob Bourne, Cy-Ride director.

“It’s up to the Transportation Board to figure out how exactly much money they need to come up with,” Bourne said. “It’s a big trade-off.”

To compensate for the loss, at least one bus route will probably be eliminated and there will “most likely” be a rise in student fees and property taxes, Bourne said.

The routes under consideration for elimination are the Eisenhower Route, the Todd and Thackeray Route, the Yellow Route, and part of the Brown Route. Cy-Ride has conducted rider-opinion surveys on the issue and submitted them to the Transportation Board.

Bourne said he “will not be recommending an increase in bus fares this year” due to the results of an unsuccessful fare hike two years ago.

The Transportation Board will make a final decision by the first of next year. The funding reduction will go into effect July 1, 1996.

On a brighter note, Cy-Ride will receive more than $1 million in federal assistance for maintenance and acquisitions. This is part of an $8.5 million statewide appropriation.

The award will allow Cy-Ride to purchase several new busses. The new vehicles will replace six of the 12 buses that are more than 25 years old, Bourne said.

“We are going to buy four new large buses and two new minibuses,” he said. “But, because the federal government moves slowly, we won’t see the new buses right away.”

Bourne said Cy-Ride will receive the large buses in three years and the smaller ones in two. The financial award will also allow Cy-Ride to buy new shop equipment and destination signs.