(Columbia)- For many Columbia workers, getting on and off the Newberry SmartRide bus is what they look forward to everyday.

They pay a $20.00 weekly fare or a $6.00 daily fare.

Dr. David Stout said, "I catch the bus at Chapin and we can have anywhere from six to ten people a day riding the bus. Yesterday, we took a head count, and we had 24."

Judy Hair also uses the bus to commute from Chapin. On that ride, her eyes never overlook rising gas prices.

Hair said, "Everyday you go in and out and gas prices go up so we very grateful for the ride."

Two years ago, Terrie Hunter drove from Newberry into downtown Columbia daily. It's a 102 mile drive that drained her pocket.

Hunter said, "During that time, gas was $1.69. Now, we're looking at $3.00."

Recently, riders have been hearing that the SmartRide funding may be in trouble.

Dr. Stout said, "We've heard rumors of it, so those of us that ride the bus have been making inquiries."

CMRTA officials say they operate the service, but the DOT funds it fully.

They say it costs $90,000 to run the service annually. From january 2005 to January 2006, they've collect $30,000 in fares, which left a $160,000 dollar deficit that DOT covered.

We made serveral attempts to reach DOT officials today as to the future of the program. Our calls were not returned, so we'll continue to search for answers and bring you more information as soon as we get it.