Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Guidance Center reports LV Bridal transit pilot averaging ~250 rides per week; city funding and KDOT match under review
Summary
Guidance Center staff reported the LV Bridal transportation pilot averages about 250 rides per week using three vehicles (one wheelchair‑accessible) and told the commission the program needs better demographic data and funding clarity to continue beyond pilot funding.
Representatives from the Guidance Center briefed the commission on the LV Bridal transit pilot (program name referenced in the presentation as “Bridal LV”/“LV Bridal”). Tyler Darrow, the Guidance Center transportation lead, and colleagues described recent ridership, operational metrics and funding questions for a third pilot year.
Darrow reported the service averages about 250 rides per week and that staff typically operate three vehicles — one with a wheelchair lift — and three drivers. He said a slow week yields roughly 224 rides and summer weeks sometimes reach the 300s. Monthly reporting showed 258 completed rides in the month displayed on a slide.
Operational data discussed included abandoned rides, canceled bookings and no‑shows; Darrow said abandoned rides were almost always zero and that one system outage day produced seven abandoned rides. Approximately 80% of users book through the app and about 21% use the call/dispatcher option, he said. Payment is heavily cash‑based (presenter said about 98% of riders paid by cash in the week referenced) though some riders use programs that subsidize or cover fares (for example VA‑linked VTC assistance and other local program vouchers).
Most frequent trip endpoints included Walmart, the VA and local employers such as Hallmark. Darrow said one operational limitation is that the app will not book rides that originate inside the Fort Leavenworth post boundary (users commonly walk to the post boundary to be picked up). Hours of service were described as roughly 7 a.m.–5 p.m. for one vehicle and 8 a.m.–5 p.m. for the others, and staff suggested a longer day would help riders traveling to earlier or later shifts.
On funding, staff said the city has budgeted a portion of economic development funds (citation given during discussion: roughly $80,000 was referenced) and that KDOT previously subsidized matching shares (originally described as a 70/30 KDOT/local split for earlier support). The presenters and commissioners discussed whether KDOT will continue support and how to document usage and rider demographics to secure future grants; Guidance Center staff said they are updating internal data collection and exploring ways to gather anonymous rider survey responses to learn trip purpose, age groups and employment status without breaching privacy.
Commissioners thanked the team and discussed next steps: continuing the pilot and providing additional data for grant and budget decisions. No formal commission motions or votes were taken at the conclusion of the briefing.
