John Hatton has been riding the 16 Westhampton bus for six years. He fears he may be left without a job if the route is canceled.

"They understand what they're doing to the public, because they cause the people to lose their jobs," said Hatton, 58, who works for a cleaning service.

Hatton was talking about GRTC Transit System's plan to cut several bus routes.

An 18-month operational study conducted by GRTC identified nine under-performing routes -- seven in Richmond, two in Henrico -- that are targets for elimination.

The Westhampton route, which runs between downtown Richmond and the University of Richmond, is one of them.

Kathy Shaw Clary, GRTC's director of marketing, said the bus company serves 10 million people per year and has a commitment to serve as many people as possible.

"If it were GRTC's wish, we would serve every rider, and we wouldn't cut any route, but unfortunately we are limited finanGRTCB3 cially," Clary said.

"We realize that it's going to affect people's lives," she said.

Riders and others will have an opportunity to give their opinions about the cutback proposals Tuesday at 3 p.m. in City Council chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 900 E. Broad St.

Hatton said he has no other way of getting to work. He said he has seen bus ridership increase recently because of high gas prices.

"If I had a car right now, I wouldn't even drive, because I couldn't afford to," he said.

J. Payne, operator of the Westhampton bus for the past two years, said if GRTC decides to cancel the route, it would clearly be a hardship on some of the riders.

"I imagine we're going to have quite a few disappointed riders," he said.

Dave Maguire, 59, a federal prosecutor who lives in Henrico and works in downtown Richmond, said he has been riding the 16 Westhampton bus for seven or eight years. He said the proposals to cut several routes are "disappointing and shortsighted."

"There needs to be more regional cooperation between the city and the various counties to fund this thing," he said.

Ironically, he said, GRTC's plans come at a time when higher gas prices are nudging more people toward public transportation.

"Getting people out of their cars and into buses is part of the long-range solution [to] global warming," Maguire said. Private businesses should subsidize bus passes instead of subsidizing the cost of parking, he said.

The University of Richmond is doing just that.

To date, about 150 UR employees have signed up for free bus passes, said university spokeswoman Linda Evans.

UR officials are concerned about the potential route cutbacks, especially since the university announced Monday that it would be opening a downtown campus, Evans said. That means many students will want to take the bus downtown and back, she added.

"We've been working with city officials to let them know about our partnership with GRTC and to share our concerns about the proposals," she said. "We certainly have an interest in keeping that route going."

GRTC's dilemma was evident yesterday about 2:30 p.m. on the 65 bus, which runs between downtown Richmond and Stony Point Fashion Park.

On the outbound leg, Vera Thomas of South Richmond was the only rider. No passengers rode the return leg.

She said she could understand eliminating the route during slow parts of the day.

"If they cut it, they should let it run in the morning and the evening," Thomas said, "because not many people ride it this time of day."

Contact Sarah Alfaham at (804) 649-6435 or salfaham@timesdispatch.com.

No riders, no bus

GRTC Transit System is considering eliminating seven routes because of low ridership. Bus officials will talk about those routes, among other things, during an appearance before a City Council committee next week.
When: 3-5 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Richmond City Council chambers, second floor, City Hall
Info: Kathy Shaw Clary at GRTC, (804) 474-9369