The Owensboro Transit System secured $4.8 million through CARES Act funding, which officials say will go toward a number of improvements and COVID-19-related expenses. According to officials, the biggest chunk of money could go to purchasing land on which to build a new bus station.
Transit Manager Pamela Canary said the $4.8 million will go a long way for OTS, covering operating costs and COVID-19-related supplies needed during the pandemic. The purchase of three new busses has been budgeted with the grant money, and Canary said OTS will soon hire a consulting firm to do a route and location study.
“To make sure we’re operating as efficiently as possible and covering all the necessary areas of the city,” she said. “OTS had one done eight years ago, but it wasn’t as extensive as this one will be.”
Canary estimated the route and location study would take about six months to complete. Consultants will assess the bus routes and look at the City of Owensboro as a whole to determine whether additional bus stops or routes are needed.
Once the routes and possible relocations are figured out, OTS plans to use money they’ve set aside to purchase a piece of property for a new bus station. If the property is secured, OTS could apply for the annual Bus and Bus Facilities grant to get the project moving.
“We’ve outgrown the station here,” Canary said. “Every round ends up here for the bus transfers, and we only have one toilet and one sink for all of them.”
Though OTS’ ridership has decreased from 6,800 to 4,300 since the start of the pandemic, Canary said the numbers are still high enough to warrant a new bus station or possibly the addition of a second transfer station.
“Whatever makes us more efficient,” she said. “The goal is to get people where they need to go as quickly and safely as possible.”
More than a million dollars will be spent on normal operating and COVID-related costs, Canary said, including $50,000 that will go toward installing plexiglass dividers for bus drivers. The plexiglass dividers will keep drivers isolated from the general public. They will also allow passengers to enter through the front doors again.
“Right now we’re loading from the back of the bus without fares,” Canary said. Hopefully, we’ll be able to go back to normal practices with the installation of the plexiglass.”
Money will also be spent on upgrades to the bus wash, which hasn’t seen an update in 15 years, Canary said. A new lift for the bus garage and a new trolley for downtown Owensboro are also possibilities.
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