A public transportation meeting was held at the Star Transit facility in Terrell on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. The North Texas Council of Governments (NCTOG) is heading up a countywide “needs assessment” to address public transportation concerns in Kaufman County. Approximately 20 citizens attended the meeting, including Kaufman County Judge Bruce Wood.
A public transportation meeting was held at the Star Transit facility in Terrell on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. The North Texas Council of Governments (NCTOG) is heading up a countywide “needs assessment” to address public transportation concerns in Kaufman County. Approximately 20 citizens attended the meeting, including Kaufman County Judge Bruce Wood.
Over 100,000 people live in Kaufman County, yet there are only a couple of public transportation options. Richard Weiner from Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates led a one hour public meeting to address the concerns and get additional input as to what county residents would like to see happen. His agency is conducting a transit needs assessment and planning study. They have requested that KC residents complete an online survey about transit needs, through the NCTCOG website. The survey will be available until April 11, 2013 and can be found by clicking here. The survey takes only 10 minutes and you can win one of three Visa gift cards for taking the survey.
The study and survey are focused on short term goals that can be accomplished within 3 to 5 years, and at this time that does not include roads or long term rail expansion. The options for short term goals range from fixed route buses, dial-a ride's, taxis, and shared ride services. He mentioned that Star Transit is the primary public transportation available to Kaufman County residents at this time, as it is a “demand response” transportation service for Kaufman and Rockwall counties. Many residents of the county are not aware of what Star Transit offers, even though 148,000 passengers rode with Star in 2012. You can read more about Star Transit, their services, and fares, by clicking here.
The transportation project began in January and Weiner said they hope to issue a final report in June 2013. They not only need to determine what transportation is needed in Kaufman County, but in which cities or communities it would be most beneficial and widely used. Forney's population growth between 2000 and 2010 was 162%, dwarfing all other Kaufman towns. Terrell had a 16% growth in that time while the cities of Kaufman and Crandall saw just 3 % growth. However, Forney has a significantly higher medium income than Terrell, and a far less number of people over age 65.
According to Weiner who was addressing a question from a Forney citizen in attendance, “Forney has a lower density population and may not be set up for a fixed-route bus day to day.” However, he said that the possibility of having special events transportation and/or possibly a fixed weekend transportation option may suit Forney well. The City of Kaufman has a fixed-route trolly run by Star Transit, however it is not being used as much as they would like. The trolly has 18 stops and the fare is only 25 cents.
Some of those attending the meeting relayed to Mr. Weiner that they are in the health care field and regularly see the elderly and the seriously ill having problems getting a ride to medical appointments. Those who have cancer and may need chemo or radiation treatments each day, have to find a way to get to Mesquite or Dallas for those treatments. There are not as many specialist doctors in Kaufman County, and for the homebound or those living on fixed incomes, there is no cost effective way to get them to and from their out of county appointments. Star Transit offers a $15 each way fare for medical appointments outside of Kaufman County, and they have 3 to 4 busses going into Dallas each day, but for those needing to go multiple times a week, the cost is an issue.
The good news for Kaufman County is that overall 75 % of residents stay in the county for non-work related trips. That means doctor visits, shopping, and entertainment spending is occurring more often in the county than out of it. The other positive taken from this meeting is that the issue of lack of public transportation in Kaufman County is being addressed, and with the survey and future meetings the public has the chance to voice their concerns and needs.
