Hill Country Transit District seeks $35,000 from Lampasas to continue microtransit; service model to shift to on-demand for county

Locke (Hill Country Transit District representative) told the council that the district’s move to microtransit software has improved operational efficiency but reduced its funding base after service shrank from nine counties to four. "We saved about 2 and a half million dollars for the whole district," Locke said, describing efficiency gains the new software produced. The district reported it had completed 1,061 trip requests between March and early June with 826 completed boardings and said app bookings remain low (about 8.6%) compared with call-in bookings (about 90%). Locke said the combined state and federal apportionment to the district had fallen to about $197,000—"almost a 70% drop"—because the service area was reduced. To maintain a city-zone microtransit service, he asked the city for a $35,000 commitment and said the county had indicated willingness to commit roughly half of the request contingent on the city’s participation. Locke also proposed eliminating the commuter bus route into Killeen and instead running a demand-response service Monday, Wednesday and Friday that would require 24-hour advance booking and would not extend beyond Copperas Cove and the eastern edge of Killeen. He said the district will expand discounts for veterans, seniors and students and move to smaller, more fuel-efficient vans. Council members asked about capacity, costs and ridership; Locke said fleet and vehicle-sizing decisions are under review and that Lampasas currently operates two larger buses with plans to replace one. No formal appropriation or vote was recorded at the workshop; Locke asked council to consider the $35,000 commitment during budget deliberations.