A Unified Government standing committee tonight accepted the recommendation of UG administrators to eliminate a Rosedale bus route.
The UG Public Works and Safety Committee also approved the recommendation that the UG take over the 102 Central Avenue bus route.
The actions were taken because of a $280,000 shortfall in what the UG budgeted for KCATA service, $4.24 million, as opposed to the actual 2017 ATA negotiated contract of $4.52 million, according to Justus Welker, UG transportation director. UG administrators made the recommendation, he said.
If it were to continue the 105 Rosedale route, the UG would have to pay the KCATA $309,642, Welker said. Also, the UG would have to pay the KCATA $167,438 if it were to continue its joint operation of the 102 Central Avenue route in 2017, he said.
Welker explained that the 105 Rosedale route was the UG’s most underperforming bus route. The number of riders was far below the number that was anticipated when the route started in June 2014, he said.
The route provided people with a direct route from 29th and Strong Avenue in Argentine to Rosedale and employment there, including the University of Kansas Medical Center campus.
For the first six months of the route, federal funding covered the operations, Welker said, then the UG provided funding.
Road construction along the route resulted in reroutes that reduced revenue mileage, he said. Parts of the route were changed. Then the Rosedale Ridge Apartment complex closed in June 2015. The apartment complex residents were a major proponent of ridership for the route, Welker said.
Welker said the forecast was for 103 riders a day in 2014, KCATA standards were 165 riders a day and the actual number of riders was 56 a day currently. . When the apartment residents were riding the route, there were about 79 riders a day, he said.
He said portions of the service area would continue to be served by transit. Residents would have to make an additional connection that would increase transit time by about 25 minutes, he said.
Three public meetings will be planned on the proposed change, Welker said.
The 102 Central Avenue route operations have been split between the UG and ATA. The KCATA operates it from 5:24 a.m. to 8:23 a.m. and then from 4:36 p.m. to 6:34 p.m. weekdays, while the UG currently operates the route from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
Under the proposed change, the UG would operate the weekday route from 5:30 a.m. to 7:25 p.m., he said. The proposed cost for the UG to operate it would be $86,619, he said. That amount is less than the more than $167,000 the UG pays KCATA currently to operate the route, he said.
Both changes would take effect Jan. 1, 2017, he said.
Commissioner Angela Markley said she was fine with the recommendation. She hoped that the UG will keep this route in mind in the future, someday when it is expanding bus routes, but it doesn’t make sense to keep paying for it if there isn’t any ridership, she added.
These two changes would result in a buffer of around $200,000 for the UG in the contract, according to Welker.
The standing committee approved the changes on a 4-0 vote. Next, it would go to the UG Commission for approval.
The 105 route serves a good purpose for people who needs to go to k.u. medical center if the 105 is removed the people who live in the Argentine district it would take almost 1 1/2 hour to get to k.u.medical center. But then again the UG does what they want and as for the residents of Argentine area we don’t count.
I’m sad that the 105 route will be discontinued. It is a great route because it connects residents to grocery stores, the library, KU Medical Center, SW Blvd Family Health Care and many other businesses along SW Blvd. It also connects many Rosedale residents to their polling site at Rainbow Mennonite Church so they can vote in elections. It serves as an important lifeline for residents that are dependent on public transportation. I recognize that ridership decreased after Rosedale Ridge closed and understand why the Commissioners decided to discontinue it, but I’m still sad. There needs to be more federal and state funding to support communities in building their public transportation systems. Ridership will increase when there are more routes and more frequent service.