Shawnee Forward

PROJECT PURPOSE

The purpose of this project is to grow the effective supply of workers in Shawnee by increasing the availability of public transportation. A focus group conducted by KA Associates with the Community Renewal of Pottawatomie County found that getting to and from work was a major unmet need with regards to transportation. There are currently 2 on-demand transit services in the community, the Central Oklahoma Transit Service (COTS) and the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN) Transit, and they have seen substantial growth in the use of their demand-based services even as many need even more service. From 2014 to 2018, they saw a combined increase of over 18,000 requested trips. To meet the transportation needs of Shawnee?s citizenry, it is proposed that 6 buses will be purchased along with the staff and equipment to run a fixed-route bus service. The buses will be operated by the same entity that runs COTS (Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency (COCAA)), and these funds in conjunction with local monies will be sufficient to run a bus service for the 3 years before it becomes eligible for ODOT assistance.

EVIDENCE

Through increased mobility, public transportation generates jobs and enables economic growth. The American Public Transportation Association has found that every $1 invested in public transportation yields approximately $5 in economic returns. This is important for Shawnee, as manufacturing employers took significant hits during COVID. Here, there are approximately 1,000 manufacturing jobs available at this moment, the American Community Survey suggests that over 10% of our workforce either walked or rode with others to work, and focus group members specifically mentioned public transit limitations as a community need for access to work.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

The COVID-19 pandemic was a tragedy everywhere including Shawnee with a high poverty rate and other needs. Shawnee has a poverty rate of 20.5%, compared to the State at 15.2%. By October 1, 2021, this statistic contributed to 6,610 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 106 deaths. These numbers put Shawnee 12th in the State in both categories while its population size is 14th. Work, medical, and other trips are major needs. During the KA-conducted focus groups, those types of trips were commonly cited by transit operators as a sizable portion of their routes and requests, particularly as public transportation is disproportionately utilized by those in poverty. Not only are the less fortunate often unable to afford a vehicle to drive themselves to a hospital or a job, but they disproportionately suffer from worse health outcomes and are therefore in greater need of the service. This need can only increase as Shawnee grows.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

The funding, costs and ridership will be tracked daily by COCAA, who already tracks this information for COTS. They will track the number of buses, number of riders, frequency of routes, farebox, budget, passenger trips per hour, revenue and operating costs. Business owners who offer the transportation as an employee benefit will report annually and Oklahoma Baptist University will report their student bus pass sales annually. This data will be submitted to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, the City of Shawnee, and Pottawatomie County on an annual basis.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma