Wednesday, October 16, 2024
www.thepapersonline.com
Serving Kosciusko County and parts of Elkhart, Marshall & Noble Counties
Know Your Neighbor . . . . . 2➤ Good Neighbors . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Vol. 54, No. 17
Milford (574) 658-4111 • Warsaw (574) 269-2932 • Syracuse (574) 457-3666
KABS: Text and Photos By LILLI DWYER Staff Writer
In r e c e n t months, Kosciusko Area Bus Service’s General Manager Kristin Rude has been appearing at town council meetings around the county, including Leesburg and Syracuse, to inform the public about the KABS service and plans to improve it . KABS is a curb-to-curb public transportation service, which operates countywide through Cardinal Services but can be used by anyone . There are no fixed stops — riders are picked up at a location they pre-arrange and dropped off wherever they wish, within county limits . Through Medicaid, KABS can also provide transportation to medical appointments anywhere in the state . KABS’ operating hours are 5:30 a .m . to 6 p .m . Monday through Friday . Rude became general manager in May and was already aware of some strategic plans for improving the service . “We had talked about a deviated, fixed route . Efficiency, just increasing efficiency, trying to increase rides and those kind of things, to make services that are meeting community needs,” she said . Rude cites transportation as a “huge need” for everyday people . Access to it might be hampered by low income, age, disability or other health problems . “The biggest barrier is not having transportation or friends and family who can meet that gap,” she explained . Without a car, the other options are KABS, Kosciusko Community Senior Services’ van transportation, or a taxi service . In her first three months, Rude met with the Kosciusko County Commissioners and the Michiana Area Council of Governments “to talk about what are the transportation issues in Kosciusko County, what are those barriers, how are we gonna go about tackling this as a group?” The three
114 W. Market, Warsaw, Indiana 46580
working on fixed route, other improvements… for the pub
most common rides are for work, medical needs and nutrition needs, like grocery shopping . KABS also transports students, who aren’t served by a bus route to their schools . Driver Alex Venegas said he gives about 30 rides per day . In the last fiscal year, KABS gave 38,972 rides in total . In 2020, the number was 44,606 . “Our goal is to get back to pre-COVID numbers . . . . We’re seeing a gradual increase each year, we’re giving more and more rides, so really pushing toward getting those rides back up there,” Rude said . Prior to COVID, KABS also operated until 8 p .m . “We just haven’t been able to get those last two hours back into the schedule . We don’t get the calls, and so we can’t have the drivers just doing nothing,” Rude explained; however, KABS is interested in the possibility of extending its hours in the future . “Transportation out of county is a big barrier . Maybe individuals live in Silver Lake but they need to go to Wabash for a court appointment, or they have a specialist in Rochester or in Goshen,” Rude mentioned . For this, KABS has recently established an out-of-county fare structure, with a maximum distance of 300 miles round trip . Within the county, KABS’ biggest hurdle is in distance . Northern destinations, like Syracuse, Milford and Nappanee, are harder to reach because of mileage, travel time, and the effort of coordinating all necessary rides within a day . Dispatching software helps organize travel times, and part of the strategic plan is to vet out some new software to better meet KABS’ scheduling needs . Upgrading its software would also include adding debit and credit payment methods . Right now, riders must give exact change to the driver, or purchase bus tokens or tickets in the KABS office at 1804 E . Winona Avenue, Warsaw . Another modernizing addition would be digital scheduling . “We would love, if
it’s sustainable within the price point, to be able to offer the public the option to schedule their rides from their phone,” Rude said . After meetings with MACOG, KABS has received an initial analysis for a fixed bus route within Warsaw . “We’re looking at one bus route with a one-hour loop, going to different fixed stops on that route that would cover very frequent high-traffic places in the community . Things like groceries, medical, downtown components,” Rude explained . “I think it will help individuals live their life more freely, be able to access things more independently, be able to access their needs without having to think it through and plan it out so much .” Having a fixed route within Warsaw, she added, could free up drivers to take more trips outside the city . While plans are not yet set in stone, Rude said, “We’re hopeful to see it come to fruition by fall of next year at the latest . . . . We want to get feedback from the community, from businesses that might be identified as some of those stops .” In general, public input will be a component of KABS’ decision-making process as it looks to make changes . Potential avenues for feedback include public meetings, surveys, and informational tabling at local events . There are also quarterly transportation advisory committee meetings, with Rude and David Neff of KCSS, that the public is welcome to attend . The next is at 11 a .m . Jan . 9 , at 1515 Provident Drive, Warsaw . For those who have had difficulty getting an evening ride in the past, Rude said, “I encourage the public to reach back out and give us a try . . . . Even if they’ve been told ‘no’ before, they might get told ‘no’ again, but it does help us collect information . We track all of our denials, and we look at that all monthly . All of that is analyzed and goes into helping us make better decisions for the community in the future .” More information about KABS can be found at cardinalservices .org/services/kabs . To schedule a ride, call (574) 2674990 .
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TWELVE SEATER — Pictured is the inside of a medium KABS bus, which has 12 seats and space for two wheelchairs. Anyone needing transportation in Kosciusko County can use the KABS service, and an out-of-county fare structure was recently established. BUS TALK — KABS general manager Kristin Rude, right, talks with driver Gene O’Connor.
STARTING ROUTE — Rude and driver Alex Venegas, right, look at dispatch information on the screen in a KABS bus. Dispatch software helps keeps track of travel times. New dispatch software and digital payment methods are part of KABS’ strategic plan to better meet the community’s transportation needs.