It is, indeed, good news that Kansas University and the city of Lawrence plan to take concrete steps toward merging their two bus systems.

Lawrence city commissioners are scheduled to consider at their Tuesday meeting authorizing Mayor Mike Dever to sign a letter of intent regarding a merger of the city’s T and the bus system operated by KU on Wheels. The letter is only a first step, but it is a step in the right direction.

Efforts to merge the two systems have been stymied for years by concerns about who would control the system and how it would be financed. Many of those issues still must be worked out, but it seems that the two entities are placing a higher priority on trying to move this effort forward.

The goal of the merger would be to make public transportation in Lawrence more efficient and user-friendly. In a news release, the city and KU also expressed the hope that better route coordination would lead to cost and fuel efficiencies.

There is little hope that a merger will solve all of the T’s financial problems. One condition stated in the letter of intent is that both KU and the city would “commit funding resources equal to the amount necessary” to continue their current levels of service. The city already has determined that continuing existing T service will cost an estimated $1 million more next year. The letter also allows the city to withdraw from merger plans if a sales tax election to raise that money is held and fails.

Whether the city will decide to seek a sales tax increase to pay for the T and street maintenance is a key part of this discussion. It’s possible that the city could find another way to fund the T, but it wouldn’t be easy, at least for the next few years. It’s possible some other city-financed services may be reduced in order to pay for transit expenses. Perhaps continued subsidies to the city’s Eagle Bend Golf Course should be studied.

Over the long haul, however, a joint effort between KU and the city offers the best opportunity to operate a citywide public transit system that serves the needs of both. It will not offer all the flexibility that some local residents would like, but it could provide a basic service for those who need it – a group that is likely to expand as gasoline prices continue to rise.

Many local residents have contended for years that it made no sense to try to operate two independent bus systems in a city the size of Lawrence. This merger needs to move forward.