Transit director reports ridership gains, discontinues underused commuter route

At its July 13 meeting the McLennan County Rural Transit District operations presenter reported rising ridership, described changes to underperforming routes and reviewed finance issues including low Medicaid revenue and fuel-cost shifts.

Agency official (operations presenter) told the board that ridership data through March shows an upward trend and credited hiring, community outreach and a new scheduling technology that lets riders book on demand rather than calling in. "We are doing extremely well," the presenter said, and added the district hopes to remain near about 2,000 passenger rides per period despite seasonal variation.

Staff addressed an operational change for parole center trips aimed at reducing deadhead time: instead of routinely driving to the parole center and waiting when no one has signed in, operations will coordinate sign-in lists and call ahead so vehicles are not sent out unnecessarily. That reallocation would allow unused capacity to be redeployed to on‑demand passengers and improve on‑time performance.

The presenter announced a planned service change for the commuter route identified in the presentation as Route 10 (Sanderson Farms/China Spring/MacGregor). "That route will be ending as of August 31," the presenter said, explaining the route has not met state KPIs or ridership targets; after Aug. 31 the district will offer demand‑response access instead of a set fixed route schedule so residents can still request trips by calling or scheduling.

Staff also reviewed service analytics from the district's new software, citing vehicle inventories, on‑time performance, completed bookings and cancellations as tools to better manage runs and reduce no‑shows.

On finance, staff summarized funding sources — state and federal grants passed through TxDOT, with local matches including fares, Medicaid draws and ad revenue — and said Medicaid revenue remained lower than in prior years. They noted a budget shift as vehicles transition from diesel to unleaded fuel and that unleaded spending has exceeded budgeted amounts; staff said they will perform a year‑end adjustment and correct a capital budget line before the next meeting. The presenter reported the district purchased a vehicle in February (amount in the transcript recorded as "$1.17") and said the district was awarded $320,000 for two additional vehicles.

The board voted to approve the transportation and financial reports for record purposes. Staff said they will continue community outreach and will contact new board members with presentation materials and contact information.