LANSING, Mich. — The Capital Area Transportation Authority and the Eaton County Transportation Authority are looking at a merger of sorts.
With EATRAN's executive director position vacant, officials from both agencies began discussing whether having CATA's CEO Bradley Funkhouser fill that position as well would improve coordination of services between the two agencies.
At meeting on Wednesday, CATA's board gave CEO Funkhouser the go-ahead to start negotiating a contract with EATRAN officials.
CATA and EATRAN officials did not respond to requests to comment on the arrangement.
But people who regularly use public transportation who say they're hoping the change means it will be easier to move between the two counties.
"I like going out to that end of town but there aren't any buses running clear out there," said regular CATA rider Kim Bell. "There's a vegetable store I like to go to and a Walmart out there. We used to have a bus that went out there but they've stopped that completely."
Riders need to make reservations to use most of EATRAN's services and some have complained that they have a hard time getting into Ingham County, a complaint that's echoed in CATA documents on the merger.
How much Funkhauser would be paid for doing both jobs has yet to be determined. If all goes as planned, the documents say, Funkhauser would take over leadership of EATRAN on Aug. 1.
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