Oskaloosa Bus Route Experiencing Good Usage
A view from inside the “Oskaloosa Rides” bus as it makes its way past the Oskaloosa Elementary School area.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa Bus Route was a goal that took some time to see happen. Now that the bus route has been in operation for just over a year, Oskaloosa News sat down with Amy Langdon from Mahaska County United Way to find out how the program was working, and if it was meeting its goals.
Numbers provided by Langdon show a steady increase to the ridership numbers of the program.
When the program launched in June of 2014, an average of just 12 riders per day utilized the service. In June of 2015, that number had grown to over four times that amount, with 54 people riding the bus on average per day during the month.
“We had seen our numbers go up in the winter,” says Langdon. The concern was the increased numbers may be just because of the cold weather, but that didn’t end up being the case, as overall, the numbers have increased month to month. January of this year, 28 riders per day utilized the bus.
Nearly half of all riders are kids. Kids ride free under the age of 18. “It’s really great that kids are able to use it”, says Langdon.
The Iowa Department of Transportation has helped to fund the program, with their support of the program slated to be 2 years. This last year of their support, they will help cover 50% of the total cost to keep the bus on the road. The remainder of the cost is covered by partners of the program who support it with financial dollars. Those partners are corporations, businesses, among others.
Right now, the program has just over half the ridership needed to fully sustain the program from rider fees. The program would need a little more than 100 riders per day to be self-sustaining. “We’re not quite there,” Landon said of the program. She says it would be very optimistic to see the ridership fully sustain the program, as is the trend in public transportation systems.
“I think we’re starting to really see people notice it and to use it,” says Langdon.
You can find the map of the route listed on the image below.
Oskaloosa Fixed Bus Route – May 2014 (click for larger view)
