Oskaloosa Rides Begins 3rd Year Of Service In Oskaloosa
The Oskaloosa Diplomats helped to welcome the new fixed route bus to town. The service is now in it’s 3rd year of service.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Helping people get to where they need to be has been the mission of Oskaloosa Rides for the past two years.
Having the bus in Oskaloosa was an effort by community members for several years, and in 2013, it looked like things may get stalled. – http://oskynews.org/?p=60192
The program now starts it’s 3rd year of serving the residents of Oskaloosa, and with that, comes a shiny new bus.
The new bus had a rough journey on it’s way to 10-15 Transit, when it was involved in an accident. 10-15 Transit is the agency that takes care of the day to day operation of the bus route.
The bus started out on a pilot program that included a large grant from the Iowa DOT that covered 80% of the cost for the first year, and 50% for the second year of the program. Contributions from area businesses and donors made up the difference. – http://oskynews.org/?p=62555
For the third year of the service, the City of Oskaloosa and donors have made the service available. United Way doesn’t fund the service itself, but does act as the coordinator of the buses.
The third year of the program kicked off in June, with service taking place on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 9am to 5:30pm.
The bus makes a complete loop around Oskaloosa, that includes stops at the library, Hy-Vee, Wal-Mart, William Penn, and select apartment complexes.
It costs a dollar to ride, and there are ten dollar passes that will get you on board the bus for an entire month. Those can be obtained at the United Way location along High Avenue.
The new bus is smaller than the previous bus, which helps keep the route more efficient. “We’ve been hearing really good things from the people that ride it”, says Mahaska County United Way Director, Amy Meyer.
Currently, the bus serves 16 rides a day. “We would love to see more people ride it”, added Meyer.
During the summer month, ridership increases some, as children utilize the service to get to Edmundson Poll, for example. Kids 18 and under ride the bus for free.
Oskaloosa City Manager Michael Schrock said that the idea for the bus had it’s beginnings in enabling kids “getting out to recreation” and “for wellness and health checks”.
“Ideally, I think we’re going to show there is a need for this in the community and hopefully, council will support it”, added Schrock.
As the new child care and recreation center becomes a reality, Schrock sees the bus helping to provide needed transportation to and from that facility.
Discussion about rider usage and what a 5 day a week service may do for ridership is and will continue to be part of that topic in the decision for funding.
“If the numbers go up, we’d love to do it”, said Meyer of a 5 day a week bus service.
