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Future of Capital City’s transit system will need investment, director says

Future of Capital City transit will require investment, director says

By Anna Watson [email protected]

Jefferson City’s bus service JeffTran runs six routes from 6:40 a.m.-6 p.m. and nine routes during certain peak hours.

Labeled by color to better organize and familiarize the rider, the collective routes and city’s para-transit service are expected to supply more than 210,000 rides this year, transit director Mark Mehmert said.

But what the public transit system entails on an operational level in Jefferson City, both in finance and function, is not so cut-and-dry. Mehmert said he hopes the future for transit is bright, but for now it is somewhat unclear.

“It’s difficult to say at the moment because we’re kind of at a bit of a crossroads,” he said. “Our facilities are nearing the end of their useful life, and our buses are nearing the end of their useful life.”

On average, the transit division’s annual operating budget falls around $2.5 million, with a large portion relying on an operating grant from the Federal Transit Administration and a city subsidy — which is not uncommon for any public transit agency.

A city subsidy is money provided for yearly operational costs from the general fund, as revenue from transit does not provide enough to cover costs.

“The budget varies a little bit from year to year; that’s an operational figure. This

year may be a little higher due to increases in fuel and bus parts,” he said.

Not only will the Jefferson City Council consider investments long-term in a new fleet or facilities, but, in the short-term, the city subsidy will increase more than costs from two previous budgets.

During the FY21 and FY22 budgets, the city used additional federal money for the transit division provided through the CARES Act and some American Rescue Plan Act funds. These were federal funds specific to aiding the public transportation sector adversely affected during the pandemic.

In return, it reduced what the city typically pays to subsidize transit, which is about $1 million-$1.2 million per year. About $579,700 was paid in FY2021 in city subsidies and as little as about $187,000 in FY2022.

In the absence of CARES funds this year, the city subsidy for transit would amount to $1.2 million, according to a draft of the budget presented by the mayor in July.

Getting people from Point A to B

Mehmert said the goal of JeffTran is getting people from “point A to B as quickly and efficiently as possible with the resources available.” Mehmert, who rides the bus often to check on operations, said it’s a critical resource for members in the community.

“There are a large number of folks that do not own vehicles and their job may not pay enough for them to be able to afford a vehicle. Those types of jobs are usually service-oriented jobs,” he said.

Angela Hirsch, chairwoman of the Public Transit Advisory Committee, said even those who do not ride the bus can gain from public transportation.

“It increases access to employment for all the community citizens, which leads to a higher tax bracket, tax base,” she said.

For fixed-routes, bus times and stop locations can be found using the DoubleMap Bus Tracker App on a smartphone, tablet or computer. Prospective riders can also text the phone number at the bus stop to receive messages about buses estimated time of arrival. Riders for Handiwheels are eligible under requirements for the Americans with Disabilities Act and must call to schedule a ride beforehand.

Critics of the transit system often urge it to operate longer to accommodate travelers during later evening hours. Mehmert said the quantity of routes and hours of operation are dependent on the amount of funding provided.

“If we increase service or decrease service, it’s going to be the same amount of funding regardless of how that shakes out,” he said. “So any additional costs will be borne by the city and by riders.”

Numbers of riders have declined since 2018, and the pandemic took a larger toll on ridership. Buses lost about 60,000 riders from 2018-21, according to data provided by the transit division.

Riders this year have shown promising turnout, with numbers higher for both fixed-routes and Handiwheels.

“Overall, JeffTran’s ridership is approximately 10 percent higher than this time last year. The recovery of ridership on Handiwheels is especially strong, up nearly 7,600 rides, comparatively,” Mehmert said.

A year ago, the division recorded 137,510 riders, compared to ridership at this point being 151,690 riders.

Other factors of transit

One of the main difficulties on the operational side, Mehmert said, is being able to find and hire workers. The division currently has three vacancies for workers to service buses, one vacancy that has been open since February.

“Then allocating the resources because we have a very limited amount of manpower for the amount of rides that we provide, and the amount of space that we cover,” he said.

These positions also require workers to have a commercial driver’s license. Availability of supplies due to supply chain issues and rising prices raise other challenges. Mehmert said the division’s equipment is fairly aged at this point.

“All of our equipment is now getting older, our buses are getting older, and they’ve reached the end of their useful life both on the fixed-routes and Handiwheels,” Mehmert said. On a 35-foot bus, the useful life assessment for replacing it is about 14 years or 500,000 miles and on para-transit buses, the 29-foot motor buses, the assessment is generally about 150,000 miles before maintenance issues occur.

With an older fleet and rising prices, significant investments into the transit system will need to be considered, he said.

“Even though transit isn’t necessary on the front page all the time or necessary front-ofmind, for a lot of folks, it’s a critical resource, and I think sometimes that’s overlooked,” Mehmert said. “It’s gonna require some investment in the future. So, hopefully, that the future of transit is bright, but that will require some investment.”

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2022-08-07T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-07T07:00:00.0000000Z

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