Factory transit routes a hit

Ozark agency hopes partnership can expand bus program

SPRINGDALE -- Ozark Regional Transit routes to several Springdale factories have proven popular with workers, and transit officials are asking those companies to pitch in to help keep the service going.

This summer's pilot project is meant to show a need for public transportation among workers at Tyson Foods, Cargill, George's and Kawneer. The idea is to establish bus routes connecting the neighborhoods where workers live to businesses where they work. The transit system recorded about 4,000 passenger trips.

"What a home run," Joel Gardner, Regional Transit's executive director, said Thursday. "We are making a positive impact on the community, getting people back and forth to work."

The four fixed routes run in 30-minute loops. A fixed route monthly pass costs $30 for an adult, according to its website. A single adult bus fare on a fixed route is $1.25. The routes began May 26 and are set to run through Sept. 4.

The workforce routes were only plotted for Springdale and now several companies in Rogers are showing an interest in similar services. A demonstration program involving New Technology High School and Ozark Mountain Poultry began Monday and is expected to run through the end of the year. A plant in Huntsville also has expressed interest, Gardner said.

Gardner hopes to create public-private partnerships to fund permanent workforce routes, he said. The pilot routes cost about $76,800 for 75 days of service, 16 hours a day, Gardner said. A permanent workforce route costs roughly $261,000 per year, Gardner said.

Gardner and his staff met Wednesday with officials from three of the four Springdale plants. Gardner said he was encouraged with the response and the companies are seriously considering sponsoring the program.

Companies benefit from the routes because workers can get to work on time consistently, Gardner said. Attendance can be a problem at plants and companies don't run efficiently when employees cannot get to work. Many workers do not have adequate transportation.

"They are seeing an impact on their businesses," Gardner said of the companies in the pilot program. "I believe they are clearly seeing a net return."

Connecting workers with employers is a fundamental reason to have public transportation in the first place, said Jeff Hawkins, executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission.

"People need to be able to get to work," Hawkins said. "And, the companies -- they need to have a dependable workforce that they can count on to be there when needed."

The routes are expected to have several extra benefits, including reduced traffic congestion, fewer uninsured motorists and fewer accidents, Gardner said. The routes carried schoolchildren to free lunch programs over the summer, he said.

Metro on 08/29/2015

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