Kokomo — Tracy Nelson said she’s sick of paying close to $40 every week to fill up the gas tank of her car.
Next Tuesday, she’s planning to start saving some of that money by taking the Kokomo City Line.
At 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, the first passenger will board the city’s new bus service and enjoy a free ride across the city.
A fixed-route transportation system is returning to Kokomo after a layoff of close to 50 years, and it’s a moment of joy for public transportation advocates.
Two buses will run past a total of 108 bus stops, passing each stop once every hour, from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
City crews will spend this week erecting bus stop signs, and the trolley drivers have been out since Monday, timing their routes.
Kokomo Senior Center director Tammy Corn, who will head the City Line operation, said she’s prepared for a big success. The bus will start out as a once-per-hour service, but already city officials are talking about lowering the times between buses.
“It’s all based on ridership; the more riders we have, the more [federal transportation] funds we have, and the more federal funds we have, the quicker we get to the bus stops,” Corn said Monday.
Kokomo Rescue Mission director Van Taylor is a member of a Citizens Advisory Committee for public transportation, and a big advocate for the new bus system.
“We really need to think about what we do to help people in economic distress, because it helps the whole community,” Taylor said. “If you make your doctor’s appointment, you don’t end up in the ER.”
Taylor said the bus will allow low-income people to do simple things people with cars often take for granted, like going to the grocery store and making it to work on time. Their resources will stretch further if they’re not forced to spend at the local convenience store or purchase more expensive cab rides, he added.
Corn said improved public transportation has “been at the top of the list” of every needs assessment study for the past 20 years.
“You have people down at the Pine Valley Apartments who have been crossing U.S. 31 to shop at the Dollar General, sometimes taking their kids with them. The next closest store is Marsh, but that’s a tough walk, even in good weather,” Corn said.
“We can get them to Marsh, to the mall, to Walmart and to Meijer, and that’s pretty incredible.”
This week, city officials also announced the bus will now make stops on campus at Indiana University Kokomo, as well as most of the other high-traffic areas of town.
“This has all been timed out, and tried and re-tried,” Corn said. “This has been put together by a professional firm; everything about a fixed-route system is timing.”
The red-and-green trolley buses don’t have fare boxes installed, so riding the bus will be free for the time being, Corn said. It’s possible fares may go into effect next year, but city officials want to see what ridership looks like before making that decision.
Work is also progressing on the downtown transit center, where passengers can wait, out of the elements to pick up the bus or transfer to the other line.
One line will run more or less north and south, while the other line will go east and west. Each line will be divided into two routes, which both start and end at the transit center on South Union Street, less than a block from City Hall.
Running the service is expected to cost about $200,000 a year.
In the first year, stimulus funds will pay most of that cost, and the rest of the funding will come from existing federal transportation funds.
• Scott Smith is a Kokomo Tribune staff writer. He may be reached at 765-454-8569 or via e-mail at scott.smith@kokomotribune.com
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