The Student Association Mass Transit Board next semester will have to subsidize 100 percent of the total cost for renting and operating a special minibus for transporting handicapped NIU students.

The SAMTB will have to subsidize the handicapped transportation system because a contract between the university and Chicago Bus Sales already has been signed. As a result, student bus fees might increase.

“The realization is that we don’t know what is going to happen,” said SAMTB Chairman Phil Kessler. “If we can’t get the system to run, someone has to do it.”

The Illinois Department of Transportation Monday denied DeKalb and the NIU Student Association access to a Section 18 grant, which would have subsidized 100 percent of the rental and 50 percent of the operating costs.

Busing Graduate Adviser Mary Hermsen estimated the total cost at about $34,000 to operate until May. The board had anticipated to pay about $17,000 for service this year.

Earlier this year, IDOT representative John DeLaurentiis said he did not think NIU would qualify for a Section 18 grant because the grant was created to be used for general transit services and cannot be targeted to service special groups.

SAMTB Chairman Phil Kessler said, “The main concern is transporting the handicapped students.”

According to a three-year budget submitted to the President’s Fee Study Committee for fiscal years 1989 through 1991, the board has enough funds to operate the handicapped transportation system for about two years. Earlier this semester the board voted to submit a budget recommending a fee increase of about $5 per academic year for fiscal years 1990 and 1991.

Although Kessler said he does not want to speculate this early about increasing the fee, he said if more funding sources are not found the board might have to recommend a more substantial increase to cover the extra cost of operating the handicapped system.

The board will look into all possible sources of funding before beginning to consider raising fees, Kessler said.

The board has applied for a 16(B)2 grant which would allow the board to purchase a used vehicle; however, operation costs would have to be covered by the board. This federally funded grant is given to not-for-profit organizations for the transportation of the handicapped and the elderly, Hermsen said.

Although DeLaurentiis said the university might be able to qualify for the 16(B)2 grant, it might take several years to obtain a vehicle.

Another option is to work with the DeKalb Volunteer Action Center, a system which transports handicapped residents around the community. VAC had serviced NIU after the DeKalb Taxi Service stopped its service. However, because of limited capacity, VAC cut service to include only those students living off-campus.