New study will consider Cape bus system

Transportation programs in Cape Girardeau County, mostly government funded, have been a topic of discussion and debate for a number of years. As a result of several of those studies, a transit authority was created three years ago in an effort to streamline and coordinate services to best meet the needs of county residents.

From time to time, the idea of a fixed-route bus system -- like the ones in bigger cities where buses come by a bus stop on a regular schedule -- has been mentioned for Cape Girardeau, but the idea has melted away in the face of the enormous costs of operating and maintaining such a system.

Throughout much of its history, Cape Girardeau has had some kind of public transportation system. From 1893 until 1934, a streetcar system served the major downtown shopping districts. A city bus service operated from 1941 until 1969, but it was discontinued due to lack of riders and funding.

In recent years, Cape Girardeau residents in need of public transportation have relied on city-subsidized taxi coupons. In addition, the county has seen the development of a variety of shuttle services for the elderly and those with special needs of all ages. And Southeast Missouri State University has established a fixed-route shuttle service of its own to transport students from remote parking lots to classroom buildings.

Through yet another government-funded program, vans have provided transportation for a limited number of workers to factories as far away as Perryville.

The amount that has been spent on public transportation since the demise of Cape Girardeau's bus service more than 30 years ago runs into the millions of dollars.

But in spite of the expense and effort, many would-be riders have complained about the lack of convenience or reliability of existing services.

A major aim of the county transit authority was to address these concerns and provide a system that would meet the needs of more people. It has. But there still remain several layers of government-funded transportation for specific groups of riders.

The biggest need for public transportation comes from job seekers and employees who don't own a car or have access to private transportation. Various community agencies dealing with this situation have frequently mentioned the need for better public transportation.

Now the Missouri Department of Transportation plans to do another study funded by the federal government. Its scope includes all of Cape Girardeau County plus Scott City. The study is likely to take six months, and no one knows yet how much it will cost. One of the aims of this study will be to determine the feasibility of a fixed-route bus system.

Cape Girardeau is one of only two cities in Missouri over 35,000 population without a bus system.

It is also one of only two cities in that population category without the tremendous expense of providing a transit system that, in some other cities, isn't used all that much.

Let's hope the MoDOT study takes into account the tens of thousands of dollars already being spent on public transportation in this area.

Perhaps the study will show that existing resources and equipment would be adequate if coordinated and scheduled in such a way to benefit those who currently don't qualify for any of the existing services.