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81 Connection 2018 Monthly Passes, Punch Cards and Tickets Available to Purchase

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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.

81 Connection Fixed Route Bus Service Time Table Announced

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August 8, 2017

Salina, Kansas – The bus stop times and locations for the 81 Connection fixed route service from Salina to Belleville have been announced.

The Kansas Rides 81 Connection will serve Highway 81 locations from Belleville to Salina with a tentative start date of September 5, 2017.

The 81 Connection bus service will have three bi-directional trips each day, Monday through Friday.  The first route will start in Belleville at 6:45 a.m., then head south on Highway 81 to three stops in Concordia, a stop at the Highway 24/Highway 81 junction, a stop in Minneapolis and stop at 7th and Walnut and Walmart in Salina and then head back to north to the same stops.  This route will do this loop twice and finish in Belleville around 5:40 p.m. each day.

A second route will leave Salina at 1:00 p.m. and head 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 will finish in Salina around 6:00 p.m. each day.

The official times are here:

Poles and signs will be installed in the coming weeks at each of the stop locations.

The 81 Connection will be operated and managed by OCCK Transportation.  Initial funding for the project came from the Earl Bane Foundation, who provide the 30% local match, as well as the Kansas Department of Transportation, who provided the remaining 70%.

“We are really excited about starting the 81 Connection and this is one more step in making that happen,” said Michelle Griffin, Mobility Manager for the region.  “The goal of public transportation is to be efficient, affordable and effective.  With this route, we hope to meet the needs of the citizens in north central Kansas who need to be able to travel from county to county for whatever reason.”
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.

 

KDOT Information, News and Projects Specific to Your Area

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District 2:  North Central Kansas

Keep up on what’s happening with KDOT projects within the region on their website:  http://www.ksdot.org/divoperat/district2.asp

Other regions are available as well.

All Aboard! Next Stop, Less Obesity.

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The idea that mass transit helps fight obesity makes intuitive sense. Taking the bus or train usually means walking to your final destination, thus providing an automatic period of pound-shedding daily exercise.

Read more here:  https://psmag.com/news/subway-really-is-the-key-to-healthy-living

Total Solar Eclipse Path Over Northeast Kansas

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For the first time since 1918, a total solar eclipse will be passing over the transcontinental United States of America from coast to coast on August 21, 2017! Lucky for us, the path of totality will be slicing through the northeast corner of our state!

Read more here:

https://www.travelks.com/solareclipse/

Road Trips in Central Kansas

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The Central Prairie North region offers a wide variety of fascinating museums, outdoor adventures and evidence of creativity and innovation. Follow the Post Rock Scenic Byway where miles of stone fence posts stand as a tribute to the early settlers. A mixture of farmland, rolling hills, and man-made lakes, central Kansas is a transition zone between the hilly east and the western high plains.  Be sure to print the downloadable PDF before you hit the road!

See the full story here:  https://www.travelks.com/things-to-do/yellow-brick-road-trips/central-prairie-north/

Future of Transportation, Safety, Opportunity, Innovation

The Future of Transportation: Safety, Opportunity, and Innovation

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A Volpe Thought Leadership Series

Transportation innovation is happening at an unprecedented pace. From driverless cars to unmanned deliveries to smart cities, innovation and new technologies are key to the future of a safe, reliable transportation system that helps more Americans reach economic opportunity.

We’re entering a transportation landscape rich with possibility, and full of challenges. The next decade could bring more change to transportation and to the transportation workforce than we saw over the past century.

The Future of Transportation: Safety, Opportunity, and Innovation brought together top transportation innovators who are thinking beyond the horizon on these important issues. This speaker series, which kicked off June 27, 2016, advanced the ongoing conversation started by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx’s framework for the future, Beyond Traffic 2045

Read more here:  https://www.volpe.dot.gov/events/future-of-transportation-speaker-series

Capitol Graphic logo

Transit Day at the Topeka Capitol

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  • All Kansans -Republican and Democrat, rural, suburban and urban, public transportation user and not – benefit from public transportation.
  • Strong public transportation makes our economy grow and makes Kansas more livable.
  • Public transportation is an integral element of the nation’s and Kansas’ transportation system providing over 10 million trips annually in Kansas for Kansans who depend on public transportation to work, school and medical appointments.
  • Nearly 70 percent of voters polled in the presidential election support investment to repair and improve public transportation.
  • Public transportation helps our communities prosper. For every $1 invested in public transportation, communities get $4 back in economic returns.
  • Public transportation benefits us all, regardless of whether we use it or not. It makes our communities safer, better connected and stronger economically. From shorter commute times to greater business connectivity, public transportation improves the way our communities work.
  • Residential property values perform 42% better on average if they are located near public transportation with high-frequency service.
  • 87% of public transit trips impact the economy by getting people to work and connecting them to local businesses.
Learn more about public transportation here.

What to do this weekend – events around the region

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If you are looking for something to do this weekend to get yourself in the holiday spirit, check out some of the events and activities happening in our region:

Salina – attend the Smoky Hill Museum’s holiday open house.  Saturday, December 10th, 1 to 4 p.m.  More info here.

Wilson – attend the 2016 Christmas Festival.  Saturday, December 10th, 11:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m.  Read more here.

Lincoln – attend the Christmas Caroling party at The Cube.  Sunday, December 11th, 4 to 5:30 p.m.  See it here.

Minneapolis – watch the Minneapolis High School New Image Choir concert “Carols and Cocoa.”  Sunday, December 11th, 4 to 6:30 p.m.  More info here.

Beloit – Drive through the Chautauqua Isle of Lights.  Saturday, December 10th and Sunday, December 11th, 6 to 10 p.m.  Read more here.

Concordia – Visit the Sisters of St. Joseph Christmas Open House.  Sunday, December 11th, 1 to 3 p.m.  Read more here.

Belleville – Attend the Pawnee Indian Museum Holiday Open House.  Saturday, December 10th, 2 to 4 p.m.  Read more here.

This is just a sampling of what the region has to offer.  Check it out and let us know what you think!