Transportation costs hit working poor harder

Third in a yearlong series on the struggles of Tarrant County's working poor.

Getting reliable transportation has been a journey for the Lockwoods.

The family of five moved about two years ago to Arlington without a car, but that didn't last long in the nation's largest city with no public transportation system.

"You're walking or riding a bike," Bobby Lockwood, 37, said.

Throughout much of Tarrant County, public transportation is nonexistent or limited by hours and routes. For the working poor, this means the added expense of buying a vehicle. There are loan payments, maintenance costs and, if drivers run afoul of the law, costly traffic tickets and citations.

The working poor spend a higher percentage of their income on transportation than any other income group, according to the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics. A single parent with one child in the Fort Worth-Arlington area can expect to spend $339 a month on transportation, while two parents with three children can expect to spend $482 a month, according to the Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin, a research group that works to improve life for low- and moderate-income families.

Experts say the working poor -- especially those who lack financial knowledge or have little, no or poor credit history -- are particularly vulnerable to high-interest-rate car loans.

"Some of these deals require the purchaser to make a significant down payment that effectively covers a large percentage of the dealer's cost of the vehicle should the buyer default," said Mac Gordan Jr., president of Dallas-based Retirement Financial LLC.

In February, the Lockwoods used $1,500 of their income tax refund as a down payment on a 2004 Suzuki XL7, a small SUV. They had budgeted about $500 for a down payment, but paying three times as much was the only way to secure financing, the car dealer told them.

Their monthly payment is $336. It can be tough to meet sometimes -- the family has a $29,804 annual income -- but it's nice to have a car that's roomy and reliable.

Still, one car for five people sometimes doesn't seem like enough.

Bobby Lockwood goes to work at 6 a.m. and that means early mornings for Michael, 12, Robert, 5, and Clayton, 3. After Bobby is dropped off, Edwina Lockwood, 34, takes her children home to get the two older ones ready for school.

In July, Antonio and Ofelia Luevano bought a 2007 Kia Sedona minivan for $19,000, with no money down. Their payments are $509 a month, not including the $125 a month the couple pays in car insurance. The Luevanos' interest rate on the minivan is 13 percent for the next six years, a better rate than a previous offer of 19 percent. But someone walking into a bank could get a 7.01 percent interest rate if they had no history of late payments or other credit problems, said Mark Kasim, editorial and services manager for Bankrate.com.

The Luevanos live in Haltom City -- which like Arlington lacks public transportation -- so owning a vehicle is a necessity to get around.

The Luevanos first took home a Kia minivan with a CD player and other upgrades, but the payments were too high at $550 so they went with a more basic model, Ofelia said. Without a large vehicle, the Luevanos, who have seven children living at home, could never travel in the same car together.

And it turned out that buying a new vehicle was easier than paying upfront for a used car. The Luevanos considered purchasing an old Chevy Suburban for $2,400, but they couldn't save up enough money to pay for it, Ofelia said.

The family treats the minivan like a cherished possession. To keep the mileage down, Ofelia drives a 1988 Chevy Celebrity, which she's had for the past 12 years, and Antonio continues to drive his older model Chevy truck to work, she said.

"It's going to sit there," Ofelia said. "I'm not driving it to work. We're going to use it only for church and family outings."

Maintenance

Vedat Lika has two cars -- Volvos from 1990 and 1992 -- in case one breaks down.

When the single father of two 5-year-olds lost his job last August, Lika, 52, was lucky to have an understanding friend: Ken McCreary, owner of Ken's Auto Repair in Haltom City. Lika often went to junkyards to buy cheap parts when a car needed repairs, and McCreary would install them at a discount or let Lika stretch his repair payments over time. To thank his friend, Lika, a chef by trade, took homemade pasta dishes and other meals to the shop.

Having a running car was essential to Lika, who often drove from his west Fort Worth apartment to Arlington and beyond for job interviews and to take his children to visit their mothers, who live in White Settlement and in Lancaster in Dallas County.

"I don't know what I would have done without that guy," said Lika, who has known McCreary since moving to Fort Worth seven years ago. "He's a fair guy. You find certain people who will work with you."

Lika lives near a bus line, but taking the bus isn't practical, he said. He got a job May 1 teaching cooking classes for the Tarrant Area Food Bank at the East Fort Worth Montessori School, where his children attend school. This summer, they attended the Little Shepherd Children's Center in Arlington, where there's no public transportation. Taking the children to a bus stop would have been a chore if they wanted to travel in the city.

"With children, the waiting is especially hard, especially when the weather is bad. I don't know what people do if they don't have cars," he said.

Until the day it left her stranded on Southlake Boulevard, Terri Rushing drove a 1997 Honda Odyssey given to her by GRACE, a charity in Grapevine.

Her cousin later gave her a rusty, red Plymouth Voyager with more than 200,000 miles that squeaked as it bounced down the road. For four years, the car got her to work.

But this summer, it wouldn't run if she turned on the air conditioning. She thought the car was about to break down and didn't want to be stranded in traffic.

Rushing was planning to begin waking up at 5 a.m. to walk her children to day care and herself to work, when a member of her church showed up at her front door at the end of July.

"She told me, 'You're going to have so much fun! You are so blessed,'" Rushing said. She cries every time she tells the story. "I thought we were going to Six Flags."

Instead, the parishioner handed Rushing the keys to a shiny blue Dodge van. But now it too needs repairs. Registering the van cost $105, a new battery was $63. Rushing just found out it has an oil leak and may need a new alternator.

It's just another swing of the pendulum.

"I am very grateful to the people who gave me the van, but [the repairs] can still throw a girl off," she said.

But Rushing still smiles as her children show off the van's leather interior with pride. She'll make do somehow, she said.

The Lockwoods hope to have their 1989 Honda Accord running soon. The car, which they bought last year, has more than 225,000 miles on it and mechanical problems with the tail lights. It also has no muffler and needs new seat belt hooks.

Bobby can make some repairs himself, if he can just find the time. He's a skilled amateur mechanic, but some of the car's problems challenge his skills, especially where wiring is concerned. The tail lights on the car are hooked into the car's battery. That requires him to disconnect the battery every time he turns the car off or risk a dead battery.

Tickets

Four months ago, Antonio Luevano got a $178 traffic ticket in Haltom City for speeding near his home. It felt like the ticket was three times as much.

"We didn't have any money left over to pay other expenses for about two weeks after he paid that ticket," said Ofelia Luevano, his wife.

Terri Rushing was driving to work in the Voyager when a police officer saw that her inspection sticker was missing. She hadn't been able to afford to fix her car in order to pass inspection and certainly couldn't afford another $150 ticket on top of it.

Last year, the Lockwoods paid $1,500 for two older cars -- the Accord and a 1993 Mercury Sable -- that either didn't run or couldn't pass state inspections. They also let their auto insurance lapse in August 2006, while looking for a cheaper policy.

Last summer Edwina was stopped by police twice while driving the Honda, once for having no registration sticker and later because the officer said she rolled through a stop sign.

The first time, she was able to do community service at Mission Arlington to pay off the $130 ticket. But the second stop cost her about $450 for running the stop sign and having no inspection sticker or registration. She paid that, but she's still trying to scrape together enough money to pay the $350 fine for not having insurance.

For now, the family pays $21 a month to keep liability insurance on the Honda, just in case they have to move it. Edwina's learned her lesson. She won't even drive around the parking lot in an uninsured car, she said.

"I think it would be more expensive having to buy gas for two vehicles, but I think it would be less stressful," Edwina said "I'd have a car to drive, and he'd have a car to drive, and if something was to happen to one of them, we'd have something to fall back on."

Emissions assistance program

Low- and moderate-income drivers in Tarrant County whose vehicles fail state emissions tests can get up to $600 for emissions-related repairs or up to $1,000 for replacing their car.

1. To qualify for the state's AirCheck Texas Repair and Replacement Assistance Program, a driver must have a net income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $41,300 for a family of four. New rules, which will likely take effect by 2008, will open the program to families who make up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $61,950 net income for a family of four.

2. The vehicle must have valid registration and have been registered in a program area in Texas for the previous 12 months.

3. Owners must call the state's toll-free number (800-898-9103) and provide information about their vehicle to the operator. Then, they must fax or mail a copy of their vehicle inspection report, a completed and signed application for the program, and proof of income. After the information is submitted, they can get the voucher within two to three days, according to AirCheck Texas officials.

4. The voucher will come with a list of recognized emissions repair facilities. The vehicle owner must pay a $30 co-payment and anything in excess of $600.

For additional requirements, call 800-898-9103 or go to the North Central Texas Council of Governments Web site at http://www.nctcog.org/trans/air/act/.

Sources: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; North Central Texas Council of Governments

Public transportation options in Tarrant County

Trains

Trinity Railway Express provides train service between downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas on Mondays through Saturdays. No regularly scheduled service is available Sundays.

Tarrant County stations

Fort Worth Texas & Pacific (T&P) Station, 221 W. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth

Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center Station, Ninth and Jones streets, Fort Worth

Richland Hills Station, 7225 Burns St., Richland Hills

Hurst/Bell Station, 3232 Bell Spur Drive, Hurst

CentrePort/DFW Airport Station, 14470 Statler Blvd., Fort Worth. Bus service is available to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

Information: 817-215-8600; www.trinityrailwayexpress.org

Bus

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority provides bus and van service to Fort Worth and Richland Hills.

Regular service: Buses run from 4:19 a.m. to 12:08 a.m. Mondays through Fridays; from 4:21 a.m. to 11:50 p.m. Saturdays; and from 4:40 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays. The buses run primarily on major streets in Fort Worth.

Ride Request service: Richland Hills residents can be picked up by bus for travel in the city, but reservations must be made by telephone 24 hours in advance. Buses also make regular stops, which require no reservations, and connect to Fort Worth. For Rider Request reservations, call 817-215-8600.

Van pools: At least seven people who live near one another join together to share the costs of getting to and from work by van. Generally, van pools will have one primary driver and one alternate driver. Fares, based on mileage, are due in full by the first working day of each month. The vans are provided. Call the T at 817-336-RIDE for a list of vanpools.

Online: www.the-t.com

HEB Transit

The service, started in August by the United Way and churches, provides rides to about 200 people per month. Qualified residents primarily from Hurst, Euless and Bedford can catch rides to jobs, interviews, train stations, child care and human service appointments between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

To qualify for vouchers, residents must visit one of six organizations for an interview. After that, they must book trips 48 hours in advance.

For more information, visit the North Central Texas Council of Governments' Web site at www.nctcog.org and search for HEB Transit.

Organizations to contact for a ride are:

Catholic Charities, Bedford, 817-282-6646

Christian Connection, Bedford, 817-283-8746

Mission Central, Hurst, 817-595-0011

NEED Center East, Hurst, 817-280-0286

St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, North Richland Hills, 817-284-4811

Workforce Solutions -- Mid-Cities Center, Bedford, 817-399-7500

Contact the reporters

Today's report was written by Adrienne Nettles, anettles@star-telegram.com, 817-685-3820; Elizabeth Campbell, liz@star- telegram.com, 817-390-7696; Traci Shurley, tshurley@star- telegram.com, 817-548-5494; and Melissa Vargas, msanchez@star-telegram.com, 817-685-3888.

Readers' suggestions and comments are welcome.