Greenville leaders hear five-year transit plan as staff seek funding and software upgrades

Greenville — Greenville Transit Director Katie McCabe presented the finalized five-year Transit Development Plan to the Greenville City Council, describing a phased roadmap that prioritizes vehicle replacement, scheduling software upgrades and outreach while leaving major expansions contingent on funding and regional partnerships.

“This plan helps transit meet the community needs now and to look at possible needs in the future,” McCabe said, summarizing the purpose and scope of the plan. She described the agency’s current demand-response model (curb-to-curb service with a $4 one-way fare and discounts for youth and seniors), the public outreach behind the plan and the recommendations staff will prioritize in the near term.

An ODOT transit grant coordinator, Kirby Dur, said the state helped fund and review the plan and that the analysis combined stakeholder interviews, surveys and anonymized mobile-data modeling. Dur described federal and state program rules that shape local options: many replacement and capital grants through FTA Section 5311 require local match dollars and set vehicle-disposition best practices. “We actually do not allow vehicles to be disposed until they’ve hit that best practice… I believe it’s 150,000,” Dur said, describing mileage-based disposition thresholds used to govern replacement timing.

Council members and the public pressed staff on how many vehicles the system would require under different service levels, how replacement costs and operating budgets would scale, and whether serving parts of the county would be practical. McCabe said the agency currently operates 11 vehicles in service and has acquired two used-to-us vehicles and one brand-new vehicle at no cost this year; one vehicle is in the current disposition process.

Near-term priorities in the plan include: - Purchasing improved scheduling software to increase dispatch efficiency and reduce long waits for riders; staff said procurement is planned and ODOT-funded in part. - Replacing aging vehicles on a phased schedule to avoid simultaneous replacements that spike costs. - Adding peak vehicles to reduce wait times and improve reliability. - A public-information campaign and transit marketing to increase awareness and ridership.

The TDP also identifies longer-term ideas—pilots for fixed routes, inner-city deviated fixed routes that can deviate to pick riders, and possible countywide connections—that would require additional planning, partner agreements and new funding. Staff repeatedly emphasized that the TDP is a planning document rather than a binding budget or legal commitment: implementation decisions and timelines depend on the council’s priorities and the city’s ability to provide the required local match for grants.

McCabe outlined immediate next steps: purchase scheduling software already approved through ODOT funding, and include two new vehicles in the 2026 budget if local funding is available. Council members signaled support for low-cost, high-impact steps (marketing and software) while continuing to weigh the fiscal trade-offs of adding routes or expanding countywide service.

The council did not take formal action to adopt the plan at the meeting; staff said the document is intended as a playbook council may use to guide future funding and procurement decisions.

What’s next: staff plan to move forward with the approved scheduling-software purchase and to include proposed vehicle purchases in the 2026 budget cycle, subject to funding availability and grant match commitments.