Solutions sought regarding public transportation in county

A forum centering on public transportation issues in Cape Girardeau County highlighted a number of problems but few solutions Thursday, Oct. 20.

This "Transportation Conversation" was sponsored by United Way of Southeast Missouri, and the public was invited to attend and share comments regarding views of public transportation in the county.

Elizabeth Shelton, executive director of UWSEMO, told the attendees the information gathered would be shared with the recently formed Transportation Coalition. She said the goals of the forum were to "collect information, share ideas and set expectations."

"All ideas will be heard, but they will not all be acted on and nothing will happen overnight," Shelton said. "This is going to be a long process."

The forum was moderated by Tracy Morrow, director of Community Development with Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri. Morrow asked the attendees for examples of what types of public transportation they would like to have and what solutions they might offer for improvements to the current system in place.

Several comments surrounded issues such as not enough bus stops, inconvenient hours and days of service and not enough route coverage. Many present expressed long waits for transportation to and from medical appointments.

Morrow asked attendees again for solutions to these issue, but few were voiced. Some suggested more vans and bus stops, others said sidewalks need to be repaired for people in wheelchairs.

Kelly Watson, accounting manager for Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority, addressed some of the comments made. She said the price of buses and vans is going up "astronomically."

She stressed that even if CTA had the money to buy all the vans and buses needed, they aren't available.

"I placed an order for five wheelchair-accessible vans at the beginning of this year," Watson said. "I was notified a few months ago that only two were available. Not trying to make excuses, but these are the challenges we face."

Watson said another issue is not being able to hire enough drivers. She said currently the organization has 26 full-time drivers compared with 60 pre-COVID-19.

"We don't have the people, and the vans to be everywhere that we want to be," Watson said. "But we are trying. We appreciate your patience, and we're asking you tonight for help with any solutions."

A map was provided showing the current CTA bus routes, and attendees were encouraged to place a pin where they would like to see a new bus stop. Betty Jean Green placed a pin near HealthPoint Fitness, near Independence Street and Hobby Lobby off Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau.

After the event, Shelton said she was ecstatic at the turnout. She said the forum was just the first of many events to come. She said the coalition will continue to gather data, which will be shared on the UWSEMO website -- www.unitedwayofsemo.org -- so people will know what progress is being made.