A grassroots advocacy group for mass transit is forming in the wake of proposed service cuts and fare hikes for the Capital Area Transit System that the Metro Council is set to vote on Wednesday. NxGen Mass Transit will hold a press conference at the CATS main terminal at 11 a.m. Tuesday to formally announce its formation and intentions, says Isaiah Marshall, CATS board member and Sable International managing partner. “The first issue we tackle will be identifying funding sources for CATS, although it was not formed solely for that purpose,” Marshall says. “This is really more about the need for mass transit in general.” Marshall says a number of concerned citizens and regular CATS riders have been kicking around the idea of starting an advocacy group for quite some time. They decided to formally join together after last week’s public hearing on CATS, at which roughly 100 people attended. NxGen has established a presence on Facebook and Twitter, Marshall says, and its members are working on a website.
Sable International, a local management consulting firm engaged in a variety of community affairs issues, is helping the group get off the ground and boost membership. “We understand this impacts our business in a number of direct and indirect ways, and we want to help do something about it,” says Sable managing partner Eric Lewis. “We hope others in the business community will join us, get engaged and help us push this forward.”
The Metro Council will vote Wednesday on recommendations by CATS administrators to raise fares, eliminate two routes and end weekend and holiday service. —Steve Sanoski
