By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Access public transportation in Hays has seen its ridership cut in half since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
The service usually provides 65,000 to 70,000 rides per year in Ellis County. It typically serves about 1,000 clients per year.
The service closed for about a month in April 2020 as a result of the statewide shutdown.
It has been operating since with COVID restrictions, which means riders must wear masks and only two riders can be on the bus at the same time to allow for social distancing.
Face masks are required regardless of vaccination status. This is a stipulation of all public transportation nationwide in accordance with federal regulations.
Access is operated by Development Services of Northwest Kansas. The service provides door-to-door transportation on a scheduled basis between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. seven days a week.
Rides cost $2 one way in town and $4 one way for out of town. You can also purchase tickets of 10 rides for $20 or tickets for 1o rides out-of-town rides for $40.
A wide range of riders use the service, including the elderly, disabled, low-income individuals, as well as college students.
Eighty percent of the program's funding comes through the Kansas Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration The rest is a local match through Ellis County and the City of Hays.
As vaccinations became available, ridership increased some but not significantly over pandemic levels. The director of the program said he was not sure why ridership continues to be down.
The program director said refusal rates for the service have not increased significantly despite only being able to carry two people on buses at a time.
Access works on a first-come, first-served basis. When call volume is high, dispatchers may have to deny a ride to an individual. This usually happens during the lunch hour. It also often happens because a rider waits to call for a ride until the last minute.
Most people who call early to schedule rides receive rides, the program director said. He said it is best for riders to schedule rides as soon as possible. The service will book rides weeks or days in advance.
"Don't call me a half hour before your appointment and say, 'Hey, I need a ride,'" he said, "because I'm not going to be able to do that."
Hays has seen taxi service as well as Uber and Lift services become available in the community. The Access director said he did not know if the availability of those service is affecting Access ridership.
Sheila Boos, office manager for BMB Taxi in Hays, said taxi ridership was consistent in 2020, but has increased during the morning and afternoon since January.
When the pandemic was at its height in 2020 in Ellis County, Boos said drivers and riders were both required to wear masks. However, the company is not requiring masks for either now. She said most of the service's drivers and regular riders are vaccinated against COVID-19.
Convenience Cab of Hays has had a decrease in ridership because of an inability to hire new employees.
Owner Dustin Boshart said he dropped evening service because he has not been able to hire enough drivers to keep his taxis running at night.
Jennie Atwell, Uber driver, said calls for rides dropped to almost nothing during the COVID shutdown. However, she said ridership has rebounded and is growing.
She has five drivers and is looking to buy a third vehicle for her Hays service. However, that effort has been hampered by a shortage of vehicles on the market.
DSNWK also contracts with the Partnership for a Safer Community to provide the Safe Ride service from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. with the same buses used for the Access service during the day. The program was founded in part to help address DUI rates in the community.
Atwell said she was unsure if the Safe Ride shutdown has affected her ridership. Many of her riders are regulars, but she said she has heard some comments from people who have said they miss the Safe Ride service.
He said at $2 per ride, Access continues to be the least expensive means of transportation in the community.
"Public transportation has a vital role in society these days," he said. "You have the low income people who can't afford means of transportation on their own. ...
"Public transportation is a vital resource for the country, especially here in Ellis County it is vital for people to get to doctor's offices or go shopping or whatever they need to do."