Transit board issues call for detailed transportation statistic

~ Transit authority directors want information to develop a business plan.

The Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority spent more than $500,000 to expand its operations and provided 6,834 rides during little more than a month, director Jeff Brune said Wednesday.

Brune, speaking to the board of directors, said ridership figures include 1,432 bus passengers and 3,741 cab ride calls. The remainder of the rides were provided under various contracts that subsidize each rider.

Those figures sound impressive, but board president Doug Richards wants more details. In a call echoed by other board members, Richards said the transit authority must develop a solid business plan that sets priorities and regularly evaluates services.

"At some point in the near future, we have to have our business plan in place," Richards said. "We need to schedule a planning session."

To help develop the plan, board members directed Brune and other top staff to provide detailed operational information at least three days before every board meeting. The advance information will give board members time to evaluate the data and understand where changes must be made.

Among the information requested were ridership details, costs of each service versus the revenue generated and administrative expenses.

"If we start taking away certain pieces, we need to be able to explain why," Richards said.

Dropping a service is unlikely for some time, however. Some board members suggested more advertising for a failing service may help.

No single area was identified as needing more attention than any other. But the transit authority has struggled to keep up with the demand for specialized services, such as subsidized rides paid by the Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging.

Board members will meet every two weeks until the authority settles into an operating routine, Richards said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126