Casper transit director briefs county on ridership, assist service and contract updates

Liz Becker, transit director for the City of Casper, presented a brief annual recap and contract update to the commission. She said the city assumed transit operations on May 8, 2021, and celebrated five years; annual ridership was presented as roughly 160,000 trips. Becker reviewed accomplishments including upgraded safety cameras, announcement systems for ADA access and certification and training milestones for drivers.

Becker noted no substantive changes to the proposed contract and that the assist door-to-door program's cost-per-mile figure was calculated at about $8.14, based on driver compensation, fuel, maintenance and operating assumptions. She said the transit asset management plan informs vehicle replacement cycles (roughly seven years), and that a route analysis is underway with public outreach and a fall completion target; implementation of route changes would be expected in January following a 30-day public comment period and policy-committee action.

Becker also reported grant relationships (FTA majority funding) and noted insurance and fuel cost increases but said the department managed those pressures by adjusting operating lines. She said draft contract documents would be finalized and forwarded to the county attorney as needed.

What's next: Route-analysis results will be returned in the fall for public comment and potential policy-committee action; the county will receive the finalized contract for review.

Quotes in this article are taken from the transcript and attributed to the speaker who identified themselves at the meeting.