Commentary: Wheels On The Bus Go 'Round And 'Round

Riders Rely On Region's Public Transportation

Thursday, April 10, 2014

"If it wasn't for these buses, a lot of people would have to be walking ... for quite a while."

Joseph Huddleston of Springdale hit the nail on the head with that remark. Ozark Regional Transit carried more than 300,000 passengers more than 700,000 miles in 2013.

The staff of Northwest Arkansas' public transportation system studies the routes and the riders, using that information to choose stops and schedule routes, said Joel Gardner, executive director.

Gordon Blair, who for three years has driven a route through Springdale and to the Northwest Arkansas Mall, listed some busy Springdale stops: the Walmart Neighborhood Market on West Sunset Avenue, the Arkansas State Revenue Office, the Goodwill Industries store, Ozark Guidance, Northwest Technical Institute, the Jones Center, Northwest Arkansas Community College Washington County Center on White Road, the Springdale Public Library, city parks, City Hall, Shiloh Museum, various senior living centers.

"And I have three or four women that I drop off here," Blair said as he stopped the bus amid the hotels north of Lowe's Home Improvement Center on West Sunset Avenue. "They are housekeepers at some of these hotels.

"I would say, 80 percent of the people who ride don't have any other form of transportation," Blair continued, noting homeless people use the buses to get to various soup kitchens and food pantries in Northwest Arkansas.

"But others park at the mall to save gas," he said. An express bus runs between the mall, the University of Arkansas, NWACC in Springdale and NWACC in Bentonville.

Huddleston, in fact, rides the bus from a transfer hub at the Springdale Walmart Supercenter to Fayetteville for work.

Nicolas Kinder, a freshman at the University of Arkansas, left the bus at the Ozark Guidance stop a couple of weeks ago, mentioning he lived in The Links apartments off 40th Street. He rode Razorback Transit's Red bus from campus to the mall.

Kinder's car was "totaled" in a wreck, he said, and his backup was a Moped. "But with the clouds and the forecast (for rain, wind and cold), it seemed a little sketchy for the Moped today," he said.

Ann Tanner rides the bus every day, she said, from a stop near her home in Fayetteville to the Springdale Supercenter. She comes to Springdale because Razorback Transit no longer stops at the Fayetteville Supercenter, although admitting she'd rather spend her money in Fayetteville. She relies on the bus service because a seizure disorder left her unable to drive.

Tanner travels to shop for groceries and needed items, but never buys more than one bag so she can carry, she said. On this day, it was bananas. Traveling and transferring buses with a bunch of bags is awkward, she explained.

Dan Gaither also waited at the Walmart stop with just one bag.

"I needed some soap, so I bought a couple of bottles of body wash," he said. He had walked across town from his residence near downtown, but insisted he was not walking back.

"They let disabled vets ride for free -- and that's great," he said, offering a description that included himself.

Greg Williams and his friend Fred boarded the bus at the mall, heading to Northwest Arkansas Athletic Center on South Thompson Street. "We're practicing for this," Greg said, opening his coat to reveal a Special Olympics logo on his T-shirt. "We're learning to ... ," and he put his arms over his head to mimic lifting weights.

"I come on the bus a lot," he said. "It makes it easier to get to church."

"It's a real good bus service," Tanner said. "All the drivers are very nice. They listen to us about where we're going before we get on" -- even when it must seem every rider who climbs aboard needs to double-check the destination with the driver.

Blair greeted his regular riders by name. Driver Norman Ridenoure asked if the air conditioning in his bus was too cold and offered to turn it down.

James Jones started his shift as a driver at 12:30 p.m. at the mall, and immediately interacted with his regular riders. He urged them to sing along with a song on the radio when he turned the music down. When someone voiced concern about the condition of the bus, Jones told him not to worry. If the bus broke down, he had the riders to push the bus -- or Jones would push himself for a McDonald's Happy Meal.

He got his pay that day. As Williams left the bus, he turned back around to give a big smile and a slow wave to his driver.

"I'll be back in 29 minutes to pick you up," Jones assured.

NW News on 04/10/2014