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Knox County transit director warns night-bus and some services are at risk without local funding
Summary
Transit Director Bethany Summer told commissioners that weather-reduced January trips, lost contract revenue and federal funding reallocations have left Knox County Transit facing a budget gap that could end a well-used night bus unless local contributions or employer support are found.
Bethany Summer, Knox County Transit director, told the Board of Commissioners on Feb. 24 that January ridership totaled 5,040 trips but was depressed by weather, closures and a seasonal uptick in cancellations. She said seniors make up about 32% of riders and people with disabilities about 20% of riders; 52% of trips are for employment, 20% for medical needs, 13% for personal trips, 8% for education and 7% for shopping.
Summer walked commissioners through a funding picture in which fares reduce the amount of federal assistance the county receives and recent program changes and lost contracts have cut expected revenue. She said a previous after-school therapy contract that provided roughly $1,200 per week ended in September, and that the cumulative loss of some out-of-county contract riders amounts to roughly $24,000 per quarter (about $50,000 annually), creating a measurable shortfall.
On operational matters, Summer explained why residents sometimes see empty buses: drivers' first runs, meal breaks, and end-of-shift movements cause predictable gaps in service. She said staffing is at budgeted levels and that the department cannot add additional full-time drivers under current constraints, though a part-time out-of-county driver is being sought to help coverage.
Summer described service changes implemented in January: flex-route pickups were restricted to boarding at designated stops instead of door-to-door deviations, which reduced ridership in winter months. The transit has also opened a route to the industrial park to better serve workforce trips; she said she is following up with several local employers to seek partnership or contributions to support employment-oriented service.
The meeting turned to the night-bus pilot, which Summer said was funded with a one-year ODOT grant of $200,000 and runs from about 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. The service remains highly used, she said, but is not yet sustainable as part of regular operations. Summer said incorporating the night bus into ongoing operations would require an additional local match of roughly $80,000–$98,000 depending on the longer-term plan. She asked commissioners to help identify employers and local sponsors and offered to provide more detailed rosters and usage percentages so commissioners could approach businesses with requests for contributions.
Commissioners discussed options Summer laid out, including pursuing employer contracts, sponsorships or testing a voluntary donation/campaign model. A county official noted that donations treated as matching funds may avoid the adverse effect on federal funding that charging regular fares can create. Summer said she will provide more granular employer and ridership data to support follow-up outreach.
The most immediate procedural next step is that Summer will compile the requested usage percentages and employer lists for commissioners; no formal vote or funding commitment was made at the meeting.
Ending: Commissioners thanked Summer and asked staff to work with her on outreach and additional data; the transit update was followed by other administrative reports on the agenda.
