Editor, Times-Union: Kosciusko Area Bus Service has proudly provided public transportation to the residents of Kosciusko County for 30 years and appreciates the continuing support of the local community. During that time different service models have been tried in an effort to transport the most people in the most effective and efficient manner possible, and it was discovered that the present demand-response model most closely meets those goals and is commonly used in rural areas around the country. Fixed routes have not proved effective in rural areas like Kosciusko County that have a low population density.
Demand-response service can be described as taxi, bus. There are no set routes or stops and passengers are encouraged to schedule rides in advance so that similar origins and destinations can be grouped. There are times of the day when there is one passenger riding a 12-passenger vehicle and at other times the bus is at full capacity. Due to fluctuating demands throughout the day a transit system purchases vehicles that fulfill needs for the biggest part of the day.
Indiana Department of Transportation, which pays for 80 percent of a new vehicle, does not allow the purchase of cars. Last year, more than 60,000 rides were provided in the county, an average of 240 rides a day, which would not have been possible using just cars or mini-vans. Through a number of initiatives ridership increased more than 10 percent from the prior year without a substantial increase in operating expense. Still, people are denied rides weekly because demand exceeds capacity.
KABS and the K21 Health Foundation, which recognizes the role public transportation plays to help people address their health and wellness needs, partnered this year to conduct a feasibility study using RLS Associates from Ohio, a consulting firm specializing in rural public transportation. The study is not yet finished but a preliminary report has already indicated that demand-response is likely the best service model for our county. It’s not perfect, but in a large, rural setting no one has devised a better model.
Ninety percent of KABS passengers are young children, senior citizens or people with a disability and come from households earning less than $20,000. If the local dollars required to match state and federal dollars are not found then it is inevitable that reductions in public transportation are coming for those young children, senior citizens and people with disabilities living on fixed incomes.
Matt Boren KABS General Manager Warsaw, via e-mail
