A task of cutting the number of cars taking to crowded Amador County roadways gripped local transportation officials Wednesday.

Moves ranging from halving student transit fares to beefing up a local rideshare program to hooking up buses for wireless Internet are either done, in progress or being contemplated by members of the Amador County Transportation Commission. The commission doubles as governing board of the Amador Regional Transit System.

In September, a doubling in all bus fares from $1 to $2 caused a drop in ridership, said Patrick Ireland, the transit system's general manager.

"If you look at the numbers, you see that the riders vanishing are student passengers," Ireland said. He recommended cutting student fares from $2 back to $1.

ARTS Chairman Richard Forster noted fuel prices are down sharply from September, and suggested a general cut in bus fares might be in order. Ireland stuck to the student fare cut proposal.

"Because of the volatility of fuel prices, and the uncertainty of state funding, I recommend we leave it alone except for the student fares," Ireland said.

By unanimous vote, the student fare cut will take effect Jan. 2, 2009. However, ARTS Director Louis Boitano said the idea of cutting fares overall might deserve more attention next year, "particularly if fuel prices stay down."

On a carpool program, coordinator Renee Chapman of Foothill Rideshare said a local effort has notched results, and is now targeting county employees.

"We've registered 233 new participants," Chapman said. "Our goal was 276. We're close. Next year, we hope to add 200 more participants, a 40 percent raise. There's a strong potential for a van pool for county employees."

Around 500 participants are registered, according to Charles Field, executive director of the transportation commission.

Chapman touted "Google Transit," an Internet map program.

"It's an option to drive or take transit," she said. "It would be nice if that capability was here. It's a matter of doing some data entry."

ACTC Commissioner Greg Baldwin spoke with enthusiasm of a new Kirkwood "ski bus" program, which runs a first shuttle Saturday to the snow resort in eastern Amador County.

"It's exciting to have ACTC and the county participating," Baldwin said. "To kick this off, commissioners and supervisors should take buses up."

Chapman called it a great idea. She was silent, however, at Baldwin's mock suggestion to "drag a couple of supervisors with skis along behind."

Mel Welsh, representing the county's Alternative Transportation Planning Assistance division, said current hopes are that retrofitting for wireless Internet hookup on two buses could come within six months - meeting requests from commuters for the service.

Forster suggested that a day of free bus fare should be offered next year. Welsh said officials already planned an entire week, or even two, of fare-free transit during 2009.

At the session, during a hearing on unmet transit needs, Nina Machado, executive director of the First 5 Amador children's service group, said her clients eagerly await help from the county Reserve-A-Ride subsidy program.

"We are anxious to have that up and rolling," Machado said.

Machado said that the Family Learning Center in Ione is struggling to serve clients in the Shenandoah Valley, and needs Reserve-A-Ride.

Also in the hearing, resident Mike Rolf said he'd learned that among county agencies, a spare vehicle or two likely could be had for transit needs. "We need to get together to use assets that various agencies have," Rolf said.