A very brief few lines at the bottom of the front page in the April 8 Issaquah Reporter may very well have shot fear into the hearts of Metro bus riders. I served on the Regional Transit Task Force, as did Fred Butler, and the demise of 40/40/20 does not mean that the Eastside will get less service.

To begin with, everyone will get less service because the financing model for Metro is just not sustainable. A total of 75 percent of its support comes from sales tax which we all know is causing budget problems throughout government.

The policies developed by the task force and adopted by the King County Council do emphasize service for those with limited transportation options like low income people, often concentrated in communities where minority populations live, the elderly and people with disabilities. Those folks live on the Eastside as well as in other parts of the county. The policies will allow Metro to be more efficient and stretch their limited resources farther.

The transit system is under unbelievable pressure, with ridership increasing just as revenue is decreasing. The 40/40/20 puts constraints on Metro planners that do not allow the system to operate at peak performance, which increases overall costs.

I believe that those of us who served on the task force from the Eastside have been good advocates for Eastside transit service. The policies that were adopted incorporate geographic fairness as well as social equity.

Jane Kuechle, Bellevue