Transit System To End Saturday Service

An Ozark Regional Transit bus waits for passengers in a February 2012 file photo.
An Ozark Regional Transit bus waits for passengers in a February 2012 file photo.

— Ozark Regional Transit will end Saturday service after Feb. 16, the public transportation system’s board decided Thursday.

“I know some people will be upset about it, but it’s for the benefit of the system,” Joel Gardner, general manager, said after the meeting.

The transit service provides paratransit, where riders schedule trips at specific times for specific locations, on Saturday. An average of 45 trips are made each Saturday, according to transit figures. It appears shoppers use the option the most, Gardner said.

The average cost for these Saturday trips comes to about $19, Gardner told the board Thursday during a meeting at Springdale City Hall. This compares to an average of $3.83 for all service, including weekday fixed routes. Offering Saturday rides began in 2009 with money from the federal economic stimulus program, Gardner said.

“That money is long gone,” Gardner told the board Thursday.

The system’s annual audit was also presented Thursday. The audit showed the system received $146,458 less from federal government grants and reimbursements in 2012 than it did in 2011. State and local government contributions also dipped slightly, as did contracts and charter revenue. In all, the system is financially sound, but operated with $220,900 less revenue in 2012 than it did in 2011, according to the audit report. Total operating expenses for 2012 was $3.2 million.

Ozark Regional will also stop giving free rides during December, the board a decided Thursday, but will accept food donations for a fare during the first week in November and the first week in December. The transit system board will seek local food banks to help coordinate a “food for fare” program.

“I cannot identify a benefit ORT receives for giving away a month’s worth of fares,” Gardner told the board. A food drive, however, would still give needy riders a break during the holidays and contribute to the hungry.

Many people using the free passage in December have limited financial means, but would also be most likely to appreciate the need for a food drive during the holiday season, said Board Member Lori Stone of Rogers. Offering rides for a “can of corn” was a worthwhile contribution to the community, said Board Chairman Jerre Van Hoose of Springdale.

In another cost-saving measure, the board agreed to an in-depth review of whether the transit system should renew its management services contract with First Transi after the contract expires at the end of the year. The Cincinnati, Ohio-based company employs Gardner and manages Ozark Regional, among other transit systems. The management contract costs ORT $464,000 a year. The transit system has grown to the point it could hire its own management team for “half that,” Stone said.

On another issue, Gardner told the board that he and managers of Razorback Transit, the University of Arkansas’ transit system, will meet Tuesday to work out better coordination of routes.

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