Langley’s free bus was given a ticket out of town at the city council meeting Oct. 1.p At the meeting, council members voted unanimously to return the small bus given to them by Island Transit in June. After a lengthy selection process, Island Transit gave 27 of its surplus buses away to nonprofit groups as a way of recycling their unused buses.p When Mayor Lloyd Furman announced to the Langley City Council at the May 21 meeting that he had applied for a bus for the city, councilmembers were hesitant the offer was too good to be true for them.p “I just see more problems than I see benefits,” said council member Neil Colburn at the May 21 meeting.p Whether or not Langley would have applied for the bus had the city council been consulted prior to the application is unclear. Furman’s actions came just eight days after a Langley City Council meeting, but approximately a month after notice of the surplus buses became public in April.p Several questions from the city council members at the May 21 meeting suggested they did not immediately support Furman’s quest for a Island Transit vehicle without some fundamental questions being answered first. Colburn wanted to know where the vehicle would be parked and where the money would come from to pay for gas, operation and maintenance.p Councilman Doug Allderdice was also skeptical a free bus was the right decision for Langley. He compared the situation to getting a free dog, while it could be a nice thing to have, the dog would have expenses that no longer make it such a good deal.p Lynn Hicks, the city’s attorney and administrator, urged the council at the May 21 meeting to keep an open mind until city employees could determine how to budget for such a large vehicle.p In an interview in May, Furman said the bus could be used during special events, such a Mystery Weekend, Choochokam and the Island County Fair.p “We have transportation problems at times,” said Furman.p Public discussion of the bus did not occur until the Oct. 1 city council meeting. Rick Hill, city public works director, said he had exhausted several options on ways to support the bus, including consideration of renting it out for special groups. Because of the city’s limitations as a public agency, renting the bus was not feasible, according to Hill.p Before Furman could finish suggesting that someone make a motion to return the bus to Island Transit, Colburn made a motion to return the bus to Island Transit. Not one council member was opposed to returning the vehicle.p In an interview after the meeting, Colburn said he was not surprised Langley returned the bus.p “I knew we were going to have to give it back,” he said.p Colburn said it was a great idea, but the city needed to have an income source to support the decision. Colburn said he would have liked to use the bus for city functions, but the money spent on it could be better spent for things like the South Whidbey Youth Center.p In Island Transit’s agreement with the new vehicle owners, if the new owner returns the bus, Island Transit will give the vehicle to the next qualified group on their list of applicants. Island Transit did not return calls for comment this week, and it was not known what nonprofit agency was next on the list to receive a bus.