Understanding the importance of how efficient transit providers benefit the community and the environment is crucial to a successful operation. Efficiency conserves fuel, saves money and helps the environment. Efficiency also gets passengers where they need to go faster and with added ease. The benefits are almost too numerous to count.
Read more here: https://www.ecolane.com/blog/how-efficient-transit-providers-benefit-the-community-and-environment
There’s a new website in town. Kansas Rides, which can be found online at www.ksrides.org, was created to support the efforts of public transportation agencies across the state to provide more information to current and prospective customers about service options.
Transit services across rural Kansas are provided by a multitude of local providers. It is necessary to have a unifying theme or identity for all public transit services to increase coordination and public awareness. Kansas Rides was developed as just that. Transportation resources representing about 80 counties are listed on the website. Counties will continue to be added as information becomes available.
“We’re very pleased with the new website and trust the public will be to,” said Michelle Griffin, Mobility Manager for north central Kansas. “We hope it provides users with a positive and informative channel through which they can learn more about public transit in Kansas and how we can help them improve their public transportation experience.
The idea behind this new resource is to provide a one-stop shop for people needing to know about public transportation services in their area. On the website, you can do the following:
This website does not take the place of local transportation websites, but just adds to the information that can be accessed by people across the state.
Ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft have been largely viewed as a threat to public transportation agencies, stealing customers and much-needed revenue. These fears are not unfounded. An October report by the University of California, Davis Institute of Transportation Studies found that urban ride-hailing passengers decreased their use of public transit by 6%.
A new study published by SURTC investigated the current state of aging in place in small urban and rural settings throughout the country and quantified the costs for residents to live at home and ride public transportation versus moving to an assisted living facility. Overall, simulation results showed that the cost of assisted living was almost always higher compared to other alternatives. Homeowners without mortgages had the lowest costs followed by apartment dwellers and homeowners with mortgages. Policy makers should consider the potential cost savings from aging in place found in this study. Seniors and their families can potentially save thousands of dollars annually by remaining at home and utilizing home health and public transportation services.
The full report and executive summary can be found at the link below:
Aging in Place in Small Urban and Rural Communities
For more details, contact Del Peterson at Del.Peterson@ndsu.edu.
Salina, Kansas – Monthly passes, punch cards and tickets are now available for purchase for the new fixed route bus service from Belleville to Salina, 81 Connection, for use by passengers in January 2018.
Additional fare options are available for frequent riders. A six trip ticket strip (6 tickets worth $1.00 each) will be available for $5.00. A punch card with 24 punches worth $1.00 each can be purchased for $20.00. A monthly pass for unlimited rides during the current month can be purchased for $50.00.
Locations to purchase these options include OCCK Transportation, 340 N. Santa Fe, and OCCK, Inc., 1710 W. Schilling, both in Salina; Ottawa County Transportation at 817 Argyle, Minneapolis; and the Concordia Senior Center at 109 W. 7th, Concordia. At this time, drivers will not be able to sell these additional fare options.
The Salina locations will take cash, checks or credit and debit cards. The Minneapolis and Concordia locations will only take cash or checks.
Starting January 2, 2018, regular fares will apply. Basically one-way fares are $1.00 from town to town. A trip from Belleville to Salina will cost $4.00. Passengers will be able to pay a one time fare in cash each time they ride.
Passengers will pay the exact fare to the fare box on the bus. The driver will not make change.
A Salina CityGo bus pass is included in the Salina fare.
The 81 Connection bus service has three bi-directional trips each day, Monday through Friday. The first route starts in Belleville at 6:45 a.m., then heads south on Highway 81 to three stops in Concordia, a stop at the Highway 24/Highway 81 junction, a stop in Minneapolis and stops at 7th and Walnut and Wal-Mart in Salina and then heads back to north to the same stops. The bus runs this loop twice and finishes in Belleville around 5:40 p.m. each day.
A second bus leaves Salina at 1:00 p.m. and heads north on Highway 81 to the same stop in Minneapolis, the stop at the Highway 24/Highway 81 junction, three stops in Concordia and the stop in Belleville, before heading back to Salina with the same stops. The bus finishes in Salina around 6:00 p.m. each day.
Poles and signs have been installed at the stop locations. Riders can find stop and time information on each pole.
The 81 Connection is operated and managed by OCCK Transportation. Initial funding for the project came from the Earl Bane Foundation, who provided the 30% local match, as well as the Kansas Department of Transportation, who provided the remaining 70%.
For more information about the 81 Connection and Kansas Rides, visit www.ksrides.org. For more information about OCCK, Inc., visit www.occk.com. For more information about CityGo and OCCK Transportation, visit www.salinacitygo.com. Or, contact Michelle Griffin, Mobility Manager (mgriffin@occk.com), or the OCCK Transportation Center at 785-826-1583.
Access to transportation is the single most significant factor in enabling people to escape poverty. Public transportation access can have a greater impact on a person’s ability to escape poverty than:
Moving Up the Income Ladder
Longer commute times reduce the chances that low income families will be able to move up the income ladder. In areas where there is little or no public transportation, families are more likely to be stuck in the cycle of poverty with much more limited access to jobs or employment choices than people with access to a car or reliable public transportation.
Read more here: http://voicesforpublictransit.org/blog.aspx?id=08-24-2017
November 16, 2017
Salina, Kansas – The new fixed route bus service from Belleville to Salina, 81 Connection, will continue complimentary fares for all riders through the end of December 2017.
“With the upcoming holiday season, we wanted to make it easier on people to get around north central Kansas,” said Michelle Griffin, Mobility Manager for the region. “By continuing our complimentary fares, we can make sure that happens. Ridership has been gradually increasing the past few months and we want to continue that trend.”
Starting January 2, 2018, regular fares will apply. Basically one-way fares are $1.00 from town to town. A trip from Belleville to Salina will cost $4.00.
Passengers will pay the exact fare to the fare box on the bus. The driver will not make change.
A Salina CityGo bus pass is included in the Salina fare.
Additional fare options are available for frequent riders. A six trip ticket strip (6 tickets worth $1.00 each) will be available for $5.00. A punch card with 24 punches worth $1.00 each can be purchased for $20.00. A monthly pass for unlimited rides during the current month can be purchased for $50.00. Locations to purchase these options will be announced at a later date.
The 81 Connection bus service has three bi-directional trips each day, Monday through Friday. The first route starts in Belleville at 6:45 a.m., then heads south on Highway 81 to three stops in Concordia, a stop at the Highway 24/Highway 81 junction, a stop in Minneapolis and stops at 7th and Walnut and Wal-Mart in Salina and then heads back to north to the same stops. The bus runs this loop twice and finishes in Belleville around 5:40 p.m. each day.
A second bus leaves Salina at 1:00 p.m. and heads north on Highway 81 to the same stop in Minneapolis, the stop at the Highway 24/Highway 81 junction, three stops in Concordia and the stop in Belleville, before heading back to Salina with the same stops. The bus finishes in Salina around 6:00 p.m. each day.
Poles and signs have been installed at the stop locations. Riders can find stop and time information on each pole.
The 81 Connection is operated and managed by OCCK Transportation. Initial funding for the project came from the Earl Bane Foundation, who provided the 30% local match, as well as the Kansas Department of Transportation, who provided the remaining 70%.
For more information about the 81 Connection and Kansas Rides, visit www.ksrides.org. For more information about OCCK, Inc., visit www.occk.com. For more information about CityGo and OCCK Transportation, visit www.salinacitygo.com. Or, contact Michelle Griffin, Mobility Manager (mgriffin@occk.com), or the OCCK Transportation Center at 785-826-1583.
Public transportation provides essential mobility options for veterans. And veterans help keep public transit rolling by working for public transportation systems around the country.
Please read more on this blog post from Voices for Public Transit.
Thank you again to all the brave veterans who are keeping Americans safe at home and abroad.
Reflecting the important role that different perspectives play in workforce success, this year’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) theme is “Inclusion Drives Innovation.” Observed each October, NDEAM celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and educates about the value of a workforce inclusive of their skills and talents.
NDEAM dates back to 1945, when Congress declared the first week in October “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.”
Read more here: https://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/ndeam/
