WILLMAR -- Ridership is slowly growing in the new taxi service being offered by RideNet of St. Cloud and Kandiyohi Area Transit of Willmar, says KAT Transit Director John Groothuis.
The taxi service started July 9 and ridership has grown from five riders per week for the first couple of weeks to 15 riders per week, and has reached almost 20 riders per week, said Groothuis.
He said RideNet needs about 50 rides per week "to make it go.''
The actual cost per ride is $9; KAT provides a subsidy of $6 per ride and the rider pays the remaining cost with a $3 voucher. Vouchers are available for purchase at Cash Wise Foods, Cub Foods, the KAT office and Rice Memorial Hospital.
A report on the taxi service was given to the KAT Operations Board on Tuesday morning.
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The taxi service is available from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday when the KAT buses are not operating.
"We're just hoping that by some of the riders who maybe would use the bus during the day are now able to use that option at night as well,'' Groothuis said.
He said the private sector has experience with taxi service. He said RideNet has wheelchair-accessible vans, which are very important. Groothuis said more promotion by RideNet would help make the taxi service successful.
"We feel that combination will ultimately lead to success, but it has taken some time. If this little program doesn't help the taxi expand, then I don't know when there'll be taxi in Willmar,'' he said.
Groothuis said KAT will review its six-month contract with RideNet at the end of October or the first part of November.
In other business, the board received the monthly bus ridership report from Operations Manager Tiffany Collins.
Ridership is usually lowest in July. The report said 9,303 riders took the bus in July compared with 9,481 in June. However, July 2007 ridership is up by almost a thousand riders from 8,353 in July 2006.
Groothuis attributed the higher July numbers to an increase in group rides for YMCA programs, summer recreation programs and for senior citizen groups participating in the Let's Go Fishing program.
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"We did a little in 2006 and really expanded it in 2007,'' he said.
KAT is hoping a special bus can be obtained to provide transportation to senior citizen groups and groups of persons with disabilities. KAT is one of 25 applicants seeking 10 federal grants to buy the special buses. A decision on the grant is expected in October.
"This will be part of the group transportation that we've been trying to develop,'' Groothuis said.
Also Tuesday, Groothuis said the 13-seat Operations Board has two seats open for four-year terms each. Board members are appointed by the Joint Powers Board -- made up of members of the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners and Willmar City Council -- and represent various community interests.
One open seat on the KAT Operations Board would represent a consumer senior citizen and the other seat would represent a senior citizen organization.
