KABS Offering Expanded Service
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Beginning Nov. 1, Kosciusko County residents needing transportation around the county can call KABS for assistance.
Even if they live outside the Warsaw city limits.
"We're calling it an interurban bus service," said KABS general manager Tom Sherron. "It's basically going to be a bus that's available to anyone in the county to call up and schedule a ride to go anywhere within the county they need to go. Right now we run a lot of buses inside the city with City Bus, and run some buses out into the county once in the morning and once a week, but there's a lot of areas that we don't get buses out into right now. What we're really trying to do is get buses into" the remote areas of the county where people need public transportation.
Sherron said there are many reasons why they're starting the new program.
In 1999, a LifeQuest survey "indicated 1,400 people here in the community said transportation was a major problem in obtaining medical treatment. ... We were concerned about those people," said Sherron.
The state also did a statewide assessment in 1999 and it indicated that approximately 19 percent of the population of Kosciusko County could be considered traditional transit users, he said. The assessment identified more than 8,500 people over age 65, 1,600 people who have some kind of mobility impairment and about 3,800 people who could be considered non-elderly low-income - the three groups who are traditionally transit users.
A recent K21 Foundation informal survey of rural doctors in the community was conducted and all of the doctors who responded indicated they had patients with unmet transit needs, Sherron said. "Every doctor that services a rural area or small town communicated that they did have patients who had trouble getting to medical care and medical appointments."
And Sherron said the state said that currently only about 10 percent of the actual demand for public transportation is being met. "I disagree with that figure because they're leaving out" Happy Wanderers, taxi companies and transportation provided by nursing homes. He said they counted only KABS transportation.
"But we do know that there are areas in the county where transportation needs aren't being met," he said.
The bus will be available 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. He said, "Trips can be arranged just by calling KABS." KABS will take care of the necessary arrangements.
"The real challenge for us is to get people to know all they have to do is call," he said. To schedule a trip, call 267-4992 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Trips must be scheduled 24 hours in advance.
"There is going to be a fare-zone system. The further away from Warsaw you live, it is going to cost you a little more," he said, "but the maximum round-trip fee for anyone in the county is going to be $8. That's quite a bit less than what the (taxi companies charge) and that's a maximum."
The cost is per person. A child, 15 years or less, traveling with a fare-paying adult will be allowed to travel for free.
"What we're trying to do is make it possible for young mothers ... to get kids to go with them," he said.
"It's a demand-response bus. The concern I have is that the demand may outweigh our ability ... it's first-come, first-served."
Focus is on medical transportation but trips aren't restricted to medical trips. People can call for trips to grocery stores, government offices, just to shop around town or whatever their needs may be.
Since KABS is federally-funded, they have to book trips as they come in.
"If someone needs a trip across town in Syracuse, we'll give them that trip across town in Syracuse," Sherron said. "All of our buses are lift-equipped and all of our operators are trained to handle those." They can't provide medical care, however.
The new bus for the program was received from the Indiana Department of Transportation and paid for by state and federal funds with matching funds from Cardinal Center.
KABS' major sources of funding for operations expenses is provided by federal transportation funds, state transportation funds, the Cardinal Center and the city of Warsaw. Fares account for only 3 percent of their expenses.
Sherron said, "Basically, if they call up here and tell us where they need to go and what time they need to get there, we'll work out the details for them. We anticipate most of the trips will be from remote areas into Warsaw, but people can also take trips within their community." [[In-content Ad]]
Beginning Nov. 1, Kosciusko County residents needing transportation around the county can call KABS for assistance.
Even if they live outside the Warsaw city limits.
"We're calling it an interurban bus service," said KABS general manager Tom Sherron. "It's basically going to be a bus that's available to anyone in the county to call up and schedule a ride to go anywhere within the county they need to go. Right now we run a lot of buses inside the city with City Bus, and run some buses out into the county once in the morning and once a week, but there's a lot of areas that we don't get buses out into right now. What we're really trying to do is get buses into" the remote areas of the county where people need public transportation.
Sherron said there are many reasons why they're starting the new program.
In 1999, a LifeQuest survey "indicated 1,400 people here in the community said transportation was a major problem in obtaining medical treatment. ... We were concerned about those people," said Sherron.
The state also did a statewide assessment in 1999 and it indicated that approximately 19 percent of the population of Kosciusko County could be considered traditional transit users, he said. The assessment identified more than 8,500 people over age 65, 1,600 people who have some kind of mobility impairment and about 3,800 people who could be considered non-elderly low-income - the three groups who are traditionally transit users.
A recent K21 Foundation informal survey of rural doctors in the community was conducted and all of the doctors who responded indicated they had patients with unmet transit needs, Sherron said. "Every doctor that services a rural area or small town communicated that they did have patients who had trouble getting to medical care and medical appointments."
And Sherron said the state said that currently only about 10 percent of the actual demand for public transportation is being met. "I disagree with that figure because they're leaving out" Happy Wanderers, taxi companies and transportation provided by nursing homes. He said they counted only KABS transportation.
"But we do know that there are areas in the county where transportation needs aren't being met," he said.
The bus will be available 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. He said, "Trips can be arranged just by calling KABS." KABS will take care of the necessary arrangements.
"The real challenge for us is to get people to know all they have to do is call," he said. To schedule a trip, call 267-4992 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Trips must be scheduled 24 hours in advance.
"There is going to be a fare-zone system. The further away from Warsaw you live, it is going to cost you a little more," he said, "but the maximum round-trip fee for anyone in the county is going to be $8. That's quite a bit less than what the (taxi companies charge) and that's a maximum."
The cost is per person. A child, 15 years or less, traveling with a fare-paying adult will be allowed to travel for free.
"What we're trying to do is make it possible for young mothers ... to get kids to go with them," he said.
"It's a demand-response bus. The concern I have is that the demand may outweigh our ability ... it's first-come, first-served."
Focus is on medical transportation but trips aren't restricted to medical trips. People can call for trips to grocery stores, government offices, just to shop around town or whatever their needs may be.
Since KABS is federally-funded, they have to book trips as they come in.
"If someone needs a trip across town in Syracuse, we'll give them that trip across town in Syracuse," Sherron said. "All of our buses are lift-equipped and all of our operators are trained to handle those." They can't provide medical care, however.
The new bus for the program was received from the Indiana Department of Transportation and paid for by state and federal funds with matching funds from Cardinal Center.
KABS' major sources of funding for operations expenses is provided by federal transportation funds, state transportation funds, the Cardinal Center and the city of Warsaw. Fares account for only 3 percent of their expenses.
Sherron said, "Basically, if they call up here and tell us where they need to go and what time they need to get there, we'll work out the details for them. We anticipate most of the trips will be from remote areas into Warsaw, but people can also take trips within their community." [[In-content Ad]]