Changes implemented this year at Ozark Regional Transit are paying off. Ridership in April increased 17 percent compared with a year ago, said Jeff Hatley, transit spokesman.
The nonprofit transportation system created and reconfigured routes; provided new training to employees to improve para-transit scheduling; and switched to technology allowing riders to see where buses are in their routes. Management changed at the transit, and money from local governments also increased.
At A Glance
Upcoming Transit Meetings
Ozark Regional Transit plans to hold input meetings on a proposed route connecting Farmington, Greenland, Lincoln, Prairie Grove and West Fork with the rest of Northwest Arkansas. The new route is expected in June.
• Tonight: Greenland, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Community Center.
• Thursday: West Fork, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the courtroom at City Hall.
• Friday: Farmington 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Senior Center.
More meetings are planned later this month.
Source: Staff Report
As changes roll out, transit employees noticed an increase in ridership overall. Total comparative ridership numbers for routes is up nearly 13 percent for April 2014 compared with April 2013, according to a news release.
"I think the increase in ridership demonstrates that the changes they are making are beneficial," said Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse.
Rogers and Springdale each received a new bus route.
A bus route in Rogers now serves areas including the Rogers Public Library and the aquatic center, said Lori Ericson, vice chairwoman of the transit's board and the assistant city planner for Rogers.
"I'm really excited about what we've done so far in Rogers," Ericson said.
The transit system has three fixed routes in Fayetteville, three in Springdale, two in Rogers and one in Bentonville. Other services the transit offers include para-transit services for smaller cities and rural areas in Washington, Benton, Madison and Carroll counties and an express bus service between Fayetteville and Bentonville that is free for NorthWest Arkansas Community College students.
Joel Gardner, transit executive director, began reconfiguring routes this year he hopes will better connect Northwest Arkansas. That includes routes connecting Johnson with Springdale and Fayetteville.
More changes are coming. Transit employees plan to meet this week with residents of Greenland, West Fork and Farmington to get input on a plan to implement a route connecting Farmington, Greenland, Lincoln, Prairie Grove and West Fork. Changes to some route numbers are expected by June 2.
Hatley said the transit staff has focused on reliability of service and getting to stops on time in the past year. Ozark Transit is managing its fleet better, and providing better routes to serve more people, he said.
"People, in my opinion, are starting to trust the transit system," Hatley said.
As ridership increases, the transportation system may have a chance to get more federal money for public transportation, Hatley said. Numbers collected by the end of this year will help determine how much federal money the transit gets two years from now, he said.
Ridership numbers might also help the transit get more local money, Ericson said. Local governments increased spending on transportation for this year, and helped increase the bus system's budget from about $2.7 million in 2013 to $3.47 million this year.
Ericson said she hopes the changes she sees now will continue. She wants to see a route connecting Rogers and Bentonville via Walnut Street and Walton Boulevard, she said.
"In the future, I think we'll have a great bus service," Ericson said.
NW News on 05/07/2014