LifeStream Services Inc. requested to purchase fuel for the Transportation for Rural Areas of Madison County (TRAM) buses through the county at the Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday morning.

Ryan Smith, senior planner for the Madison County Council of Governments, said LifeStream was looking for ways to account for rising fuel prices.

“They’re contracted to provide the service at a certain rate, so since fuel costs are going up and they still need to stay at the same rate (for customers), they need to adjust somewhere,” he said.

The county purchases fuel for its vehicles in bulk, making the cost less per gallon. If LifeStream contracts with the county for fuel, it can benefit from the lower costs.

TRAM was started in 1985 to respond to demand for public transportation in rural areas of Madison County. The cost to use the service is $3 for people under the age of 59 and $2.50 for seniors over 60 per ride. Residents can also purchase a monthly pass for $25 or $20 for seniors.

Smith said the service runs an average of 1,600 trips per month.

LifeStream has started similar discussions with Delaware County, where it also operates the rural transportation unit.

Funding for TRAM comes from state, local and federal funds.

For 2008, funding totaled $375,790. Out of that, $123,690 came from local funds, mostly paid by the Council of Governments, Smith said.