Cape's first bus since 1969 starts Monday

~ The transit authority hopes riders aren't discouraged by any difficulties on the first day.

With gas prices near record highs, now should be the best possible time to begin offering a bus service as a low-price alternative.

And Monday morning, the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority will discover whether that is true locally with the first public bus to run on city streets since 1969.

Beginning at 6 a.m. at the new transit authority offices at 937 Broadway, a bus will run approximately every 40 minutes on a route that connects downtown with popular shopping and medical service areas. Each bus should complete a full circuit on the route in about 80 minutes, with two buses running throughout the day until 6 p.m.

Fares will be 75 cents per ride for senior citizens and the disabled, $1.50 for everyone else. Day and monthly passes are available at a discount.

The transit authority hopes riders aren't discouraged by any difficulties on the first day, director Jeff Brune said. The authority last weekend experienced some severe "growing pains," he said, as it took over operation of the taxi service previously provided by Kelley Transportation Co. Inc.

"We just didn't expect the demand," Brune said, as customer calls overwhelmed the telephone, computer software and radio dispatch system.

Those kinks have been worked out, and Brune said he knows he made the right choice of delaying start of the bus service until Monday.

Cape Transit Co. took its buses off the streets of Cape Girardeau on May 31, 1969. Several attempts to re-establish the service have all been stymied by a lack of commitment and a hesitancy to spend the money.

There has been no lack of commitment to the transit authority effort. Cape Girardeau County commissioners have backed the startup with a $660,000 loan guarantee and the Cape Girardeau City Council agreed to provide the cash, $69,880, that it would have otherwise spent on the coupon program. In addition, the council voted a resolution of support and the Cape Girardeau Senior Services Fund Board, one of the biggest financial supporters of the transit authority in the past, also passed a resolution of support for the effort.

The bus will replace a city-sponsored program that provided up to 14 discounted taxi rides per month. Surveys and studies sponsored by a variety of public and private agencies showed concern over lack of public transit and support for a bus service.

The transit authority wants to translate that support into riders. The interest seems to be there, Brune said, adding that he's sure users will need time to adjust to the change.

Brochures detailing the service have been mailed to everyone registered as users of the coupon program, Brune said.

"Even when they have the brochure in front of them, they have a lot of questions," he said. "We are dealing with several generations who don't understand how a bus works."

The latest study of Cape Girardeau's transit needs, a $225,000 effort paid by the Missouri Department of Transportation, was released last week and recommended a bus service almost identical to the one starting Monday.

In that study, conducted by BMI-SG, found transportation for people without cars was considered a serious problem by 45 percent of people polled. The service provided by Kelley Transportation was called a serious problem by an almost equal number.

Users commented that the service was unreliable, inadequate and that the taxis were poorly maintained.

Brune said he's taken those comments to heart and promises clean buses with polite drivers. "The things we can build a system on are people being polite, people being courteous and people being professional."

Future growth will be determined by how convenient people find the service, said Shirley Tarwater of the Missouri Department of Transportation. The high cost of gasoline to run a car, she said, "is the cost of convenience. When the costs get high enough, people will give up some of that convenience."

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126

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Hours and rates

• Hours: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. No service on Sundays or holidays.

* Fares: $1.50 per ride for the general public; 75 cents for senior citizens and the disabled.

* Day passes: $4, general public; $2.50, seniors and the disabled.

* Monthly passes: $35, general public; $17.50 seniors and disabled.