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Council finds no unmet transit needs for fiscal year, but asks staff to study weekend/extended-hour options
Summary
Ridgecrest held a public hearing on unmet transit needs and adopted the staff recommendation that there are no unmet needs that are reasonable to meet under current rules; council asked staff to study evening and weekend service options after public comment raised capacity and schedule gaps affecting low‑income riders.
The Ridgecrest City Council on April 2 adopted a resolution finding no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet for the coming fiscal year, while directing staff to study potential service expansions after public comment raised concerns about limited hours and capacity.
Background and action: The public hearing was part of the city’s annual Transit Development and financial process for Transportation Development Act (TDA) funding. Staff read the definitions used by Kern COG—including that an unmet transit need exists when a person is unable to transport themselves due to deficiencies in the existing system and that "reasonable to meet" requires operational feasibility and meeting farebox ratio rules—then opened the hearing for public comment. After public comment, the council voted 5-0 to adopt the staff recommendation that, under the definitions used, the city currently meets needs and there are no unmet needs that are reasonable to meet.
Public comment: A representative of Oasis Family Resource Center (name not specified on the record) said the free fare program introduced last year helped low-income clients but raised concerns about limited service hours and capacity: riders cannot get to some jobs before 8 a.m., and many cannot secure return trips after 5 p.m.; dial‑a‑ride service fills quickly and can be booked up to a week in advance. "One of the concerns I hear the most frequently is the limitation of hours of operations," the speaker said, noting clients who are disabled, seniors or low income rely on the service.
Staff response and next steps: Transit staff and councilmembers noted that the city currently provides weekday service roughly from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., and staff said ridership has increased since free fares began under an LC Top-funded pilot. Staff agreed to meet with the Oasis representative, review demand, and perform a cost analysis of potential weekend/evening hours, then brief a council committee on findings. "If it is the desire of the council to look into providing services on days that we are not here, that is something that you guys can direct staff to look into," a staff member said.
The council approved the resolution on a 5-0 vote. Mayor Endicott and Councilmembers Blades, Rajaratnam, Hayman and Gorman voted yes. Staff indicated they will include community comments in future Kern COG unmet-needs discussions and perform a narrower cost analysis for potential weekend service before returning to a committee or council with options.
No changes to grant eligibility were recorded at the meeting; staff emphasized that formally finding an "unmet need" can affect grant eligibility and that, by definition, the city’s current service did not meet that threshold.
