sunflower state

Kansas Rides Website Provides Statewide Information About Public Transportation

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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:

  • Get help finding a ride – organized by county
  • Sign up for news and updates
  • Learn about regional transportation options
  • Find social media links
  • Learn about possible employment opportunities
  • Meet regional Mobility Managers

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.

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.

Public Transportation Drives Growth

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It’s a proven fact: investment in our transportation infrastructure, particularly public transportation, drives growth. It attracts development and increased property values along its corridors. It connects restaurants to diners, landlords to renters, families to local stores and employers to employees. Robust investment in public transportation yields results.

  • Increases economic growth.
    • Public Transportation has a positive economic impact on communities.
    • For every $1 communities invest in public transportation approximately $4 is generated in economic returns.
    • For every $10m in operating investment in public transportation yields $32m in increased business sales.
    • Residential property value performs 42 percent better on average if they are located near public transportation with high-frequency service.
  • Creates sustainable jobs.
    • 1 m jobs are created or sustained per year because of public transportation.
  • Public transportation saves fuel and reduces congestion.
    • Access to bus and rail lines reduces driving by 4,400 miles per household annually.
    • Americans living in areas served by public transportation save 865 million hours in travel time and 450 million gallons of fuel annually in congestion reduction alone.
    • Without public transportation, congestion costs would have been an additional $21 billion.
  • Increases access to health care, social services and recreational venues that all generate local revenue.
    • Public transportation provides personal mobility and freedom for people from every walk of life.
    • Access to public transportation gives people transportation options to get to work, go to school, visit friends, or go to a doctor’s office.
    • Public transportation provides access to job opportunities for millions of Americans.
  • Saves Money
    • The average household spends 17.5 cents of every dollar on transportation, and 94% of this goes to buying, maintaining, and operating cars, the largest expenditure after housing.
    • A household can save more than $10,100 by taking public transportation and living with one less car.

81 Connection to Continue Complimentary Fares Through 2017

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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.

Ellsworth Celebrates 150 years with Big Event August 17-20, 2017

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From 1867-2017, Ellsworth is a thriving community that is full of rich heritage and history.  From damaging floods to Wild Bill Hickock and Indian ravages to wild west gunfights and gambling halls, Ellsworth has prospered and flourished, and is proud to be a community that not only sustains, but continues to grow.

​As we celebrate 150 years, we celebrate and honor this heritage, and invite everyone to join in our celebration.  We are proud to call this home, and forever know that “Abilene, the first; Dodge City, the last, but Ellsworth, the wickedest” is a phrase that represents our tenacity.  From then to now, Ellsworth is a proud community with a welcoming spirit.  So, please join us this August and help us celebrate!

Read more here – https://www.ellsworthcowtowndays.com/

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

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/

Will Growth of Shared Mobility Make People More Willing to Share Their Own Cars?

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As many as 95 percent of trips in big cities could be shared with no more than a 5-minute inconvenience for riders, according to a recent report co-authored by Carlo Ratti of MIT’s SENSEable City Lab.

Back in 2010, the Albany Times Union did some interesting reporting to delve into why New York State residents seemed incapable adopting a sharing mindset when it comes to driving. (Granted, 2010 was before the Uber craze, but even that kind of ride-hailing more often has a taxi feel than a carpooling one.) The paper’s own surveying found very few people carpooling and this article gives a range of the unlimited excuses people can make for their lack of enthusiasm about sharing.

In conversations about mobility these days, sharing is understood as a necessary part of the solution for fixing overwhelming demand on transportation systems. Even (and especially) car companies are beginning to lean heavily on shared rides or shared vehicles as an important component in their future share of the transportation market.

Read the full article here.

National Transportation Week Activities

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National Transportation Week 2017 is happening May 15 to May 19, 2017.

National Transportation Week is a way to increase the awareness and appreciation of the transportation industry and to celebrate the community of transportation professionals who keep our country on the move.

  • In 1957, Congress designated the third Friday of May each year as National Defense Transportation Day.
  • In 1962, Congress updated the designation, naming the entire third week of May each year as National Transportation Week.
  • Each year the President of the United States signs a proclamation encouraging the observation of National Transportation Week.

Activities are happening across the area.

Solomon Valley Transportation in Beloit is hosting several events in Mitchell County, Jewell County and Osborne County.  More information can be found on their Facebook page.

OCCK Transportation in Salina is hosting a cook out on Tuesday, May 16th.  You can read about that event on their website.

 

Dorothy Toto Yellow Brick Road

Yellow Brick Road Trips

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Relive history. Get away with the girls. Hike the Flint Hills. Shop until you drop. Rough it on a working cattle ranch. Go for a weekend or a week. Whatever your cup of tea – or cowboy coffee – you’ll find a Yellow Brick Road Trip Planner that’s just right for you.

Read more here from Travel Kansas:  https://www.travelks.com/things-to-do/yellow-brick-road-trips/