By Jennifer Edwards
The Cincinnati Enquirer

WEST CHESTER TWP. - Commuters on a daily bus service from the Meijer parking lot off Tylersville Road to downtown Cincinnati won a brief reprieve late Tuesday after township trustees agreed to keep it going at least through the first part of 2003.

Trustees will try to eke out $20,000 from next year's already strapped budget to pay for the route, which otherwise would halt Dec. 31. They will vote on the measure - and decide which department to squeeze the funds from - at their next meeting, Dec. 17.

But they cautioned residents that, unless other areas whose citizens also ride the bus - such as Mason and Liberty Township - help to foot the bill next year, the service would be halted.

In Fairfield next week, City Council is expected to pay the Metro transit system $23,625 to keep its Park-n-Ride running downtown from Tri-County Assembly of God Church off Ohio 4 through the first quarter of 2003.

But, like West Chester, Fairfield leaders warn the act is temporary and plan on asking neighboring communities such as Hamilton and Springdale to kick in, too.

Fairfield's meeting Monday may resemble West Chester's late Tuesday, when more than 70 riders converged on the township hall to complain their Park-n-Ride route was on the endangered list. They submitted a petition with 302 signatures.

The Park-n-Ride routes are at risk because Butler County's bus service is going out of business at year's end. County voters rejected a sales tax increase last month to keep it.

E-mail jedwards@enquirer.com.