Oak Ridge council approves one-year transit contract with East Tennessee Human Resources Agency amid rider concerns

The Oak Ridge City Council voted to approve a one-year contract with the East Tennessee Human Resources Agency (ETHRA) to operate the city's public demand-response transit system, contingent on grant funding from the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

City staff presented the proposed contract at the August council meeting, saying the agreement extends weekday hours from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. to 7 a.m.–6 p.m., adds monthly reporting from ETHRA to the city, requires quarterly performance meetings between city staff and ETHRA, and establishes an online customer feedback form the city will have unfiltered access to. The contract is drafted as a one-year term with up to nine renewal options; the resolution before council authorized entering into the attached agreement contingent on receipt of TDOT grant funding.

Council and members of the public raised several substantive concerns during the meeting, focusing on (1) a carry-on grocery bag limit negotiated during contract talks, (2) a one-year trial waiver of rider fares included in the draft, (3) the length and renewal mechanics of the multi-year renewal language, and (4) whether transit users would have a seat at the quarterly and annual performance reviews.

City staff said the RFP originally sought an increase in the allowable number of carry-on bags from three to five to support riders who use transit for grocery shopping. ETHRA countered in negotiations with operational concerns and proposed limiting carry-ons to four; the final draft before council set the limit at four. Staff noted the fare-waiver proposal was ETHRA's idea in negotiation and would be a one-year trial so the city could measure ridership and budgetary impacts. The contract requires trip reservations "up to 24 hours in advance or 3 p.m. the day before, whichever is less," and staff said the system will continue to combine multiple passengers on shared trips and use software to optimize routing.

Public commenters who use the service and members of the city's Disability Advisory Board urged council to include transit users in the quarterly performance reviews and in any annual renewal assessment. Robert Walker and Marion Wild Gruber said a no-fare trial could increase ETHRA's invoice for the city and reduce the number of rides the city can buy within its budget. Jean Spayowski (reading a statement for an out-of-town resident) and others also pressed for regular user outreach beyond online complaint forms, urging door-to-door outreach or sampling of riders because they said online forms typically capture only dissatisfied users. Commissioner Anthony Allen and several others spoke in support of continuing and improving the system.

During the council debate, an amendment to increase the permitted number of grocery bags to five failed on a roll-call vote. A separate amendment to require explicit citizen participation at the city's annual contract-review meeting also failed. Following discussion and two failed amendments, council approved the contract as presented. The contract authorizes ETHRA to manage the city's demand-response service for an amount not to exceed $230,000, contingent on TDOT grant funds.

Council members and staff emphasized that the one-year term and annual review provide opportunities to adjust policies in future renewals. Staff said the city will receive unfiltered access to ETHRA's customer feedback system, will hold quarterly meetings to review performance, and will conduct an annual evaluation prior to renewal. Staff also said ETHRA maintains a no-show policy (the exact threshold was not read into the record) and that drivers provide curb-to-curb assistance and limited help for non-ambulatory riders consistent with ADA obligations.

City staff provided ridership context in response to council questions: 6,000 trips in fiscal 2023; about 7,500 in fiscal 2024; and approximately 9,800 trips in fiscal 2025 (roughly 500 distinct users in the last year). Staff said ETHRA already uses trip-management software and is developing a mobile app; the contract will require that ETHRA include report exports as part of its monthly reporting to the city. The contract also lists ETHRA's Oak Ridge facility as on Emery Valley (county facility). Staff said any amendments adopted by council would need ETHRA's concurrence and could prolong the approval timeline prior to the September 30 contract expiration.

Council directed staff to continue outreach to riders and the Disability Advisory Board and to use quarterly and annual reviews to evaluate operational items including the fare-waiver trial, carry-on policy effects on space and ridership, and app usability. Staff said any changes found necessary after the trial year could be included in future renewals.

Votes at a glance: the final council vote to approve the contract as presented is recorded in the meeting minutes as an approval; the transcript does not print a roll-call tally for that final motion in a clearly legible numeric form. Two proposed amendments (increase bag limit to five; require citizen participation at annual review) failed on council votes recorded in the public record during the meeting. The contract will take effect only if TDOT grant funding is received.

Ending: Council members and multiple speakers described the contract as an incremental improvement over prior arrangements while also saying the trial features (no fares, bag limit, reporting) require close monitoring. Staff said the city will use the annual renewal window to reassess elements found to be problematic in practice.