Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rolling Hills Transit briefs Stewartville council, seeks continued local support for capital plan
Summary
Representatives from Rolling Hills Transit reported YTD ridership in Stewartville and outlined a five-year capital plan to replace buses with smaller accessible vans, asking local jurisdictions to consider continued support; agency leaders said systemwide ridership is up and that the organization operates on an approximately $2 million budget.
Bill, representing Rolling Hills Transit, briefed the Stewartville City Council on the agency’s rural transit service area and ridership numbers and asked local jurisdictions for continued participation in the agency’s capital plan.
Bill said Stewartville’s year-to-date ridership was 2,838 riders with 314 passengers recorded in September; by comparison the agency logged 4,875 riders in the city in 2024. He described a systemwide increase in ridership and said Rolling Hills Transit operates a roughly $2 million annual budget that is largely funded through state sources and local contributions. “We operate on a $2 million budget,” he told the council.
As part of a five-year capital plan, Rolling Hills Transit plans to move from larger 18- and 22-passenger buses to a fleet of 10-passenger, handicap-accessible vans for routine rural service while keeping larger buses available for higher-demand occasions. Bill said the agency’s volunteer driver program also carries a large volume of medical trips for rural residents and that the agency is beginning to seek local capital commitments to support fleet transitions and long-term service reliability.
Council members thanked the visitor and noted appreciation for local drivers and volunteers. The council took no binding funding action during the meeting; any local contribution decisions would require future council review and budget appropriation.
What’s next: Rolling Hills Transit will continue outreach to member jurisdictions and provide additional budget and capital-plan materials to support possible future local contributions.
