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Beaumont staff weigh extending South 11th bus route to serve Abiding Grace; shelters would cost $30K–$40K
Summary
City staff presented a proposal to extend the ZIP South 11th bus route roughly 2.08 miles to serve the Abiding Grace apartments, a move that would add stops for seniors but reduce service frequency (from about 30 to 24 weekday trips) and increase average wait times by about 15 minutes; council directed staff to refine options and estimate costs for shelters.
City transportation staff on Tuesday asked Beaumont City Council to consider extending the ZIP South 11th bus route about 2.08 miles to provide direct service to the Abiding Grace apartment complex and to add bus shelters at key stops.
Demi Engman, a transit planner with the city, said the extension would serve at least the 60 units at the apartment complex and could add additional stops to serve nearby businesses. “The proposed extension would add approximately 2.08 miles to the route in total,” Engman said, and staff estimated the route change would reduce weekday trips from about 30 to roughly 24 and Saturday trips from 14 to about 11.
The change would increase average rider wait time by roughly 15 minutes — from about 30 minutes to approximately 45 minutes, Engman said. She noted ZIP’s South 11th route is one of the system’s heaviest ridership corridors, with about 49,000 rides annually, so any extension carries trade-offs between coverage and frequency.
Council members pressed staff on options to reduce the negative effects. Councilman Corey Crenshaw and others suggested exploring alternate routings (a Pear/Orchard option was discussed) or adding a separate shuttle rather than lengthening the existing loop. City Manager and transit staff said adding buses and drivers to preserve headways would be possible but would substantially increase operating costs, potentially into the six figures.
Engman also described shelter costs: a full shelter with concrete pad, prefabricated shelter, information board, solar light, bench and trash receptacle would run about $30,000 to $40,000; a basic pole sign for a stop is a lower-cost alternative that staff could install sooner if budget or grant resources are limited.
Council members asked staff to pursue additional steps, including contacting the property owner to confirm pedestrian access between Abiding Grace and nearby stops, exploring grants (FTA transit facility programs and private partners such as H‑E‑B), and returning with a narrower recommendation. “My takeaway is there seems to be a leaning towards the 11th Street option,” the mayor said after discussion.
Next steps: staff will return with refined routing options, cost estimates for shelters and stops, and an assessment of affordability and ridership impacts. Council members indicated they prefer staff to try to preserve single-route grocery access for seniors where feasible, even as they weigh longer wait times for some riders.
