By Debby Woodin
dwoodin@joplinglobe.com
A proposal to expand Joplin’s trolley service, via two vans, to three routes with individual pickup available drew a favorable, but informal, vote Monday night from the City Council.
Five members of the council voted in favor of giving formal consideration to the plan to expand transportation service after a session in which many questions were raised about whether the expansion would cost too much or would displace current curbside cab service subsidized by the city for elderly and disabled riders, and job seekers.
Robert Lolley, director of the Metro Area Publictransit System and trolley service, proposed the expansion based on results of a survey taken earlier this year, the budgeted amount of money the city has earmarked for public transportation, and changing requirements of subsidies available from the federal government.
Lolley told the council that 622 people responded to a survey the city conducted. More than 400 said they wanted transportation to shopping areas, more than 350 to hospitals and doctors’ offices, and more than 300 to restaurants. Between 400 and 500 of the respondents wanted trolley service available Mondays through Saturdays, and more than half said they needed service on Sundays.
Lolley said two of the current 11 MAPS vans could be replaced with vans that could provide trolley service, allowing the city to expand trolley service to three routes instead of the current single route. He proposed what he called “deviated” service, which means that potential riders could call in advance to be picked up at their homes or a specific location near the trolley’s route.
Service currently is provided by the city’s cab coupon program, which subsidizes the use of cabs, and by the MAPS van service, which picks riders up at their door and delivers them to specific destinations by appointment. MAPS also serves Carl Junction, Webb City and other locations in the county, with advance appointments required.
The three routes proposed were the trolley’s current route from downtown to Range Line, a north-south route looping Main Street and Maiden Lane from Second Street to 32nd Street, and a third route looping 20th and 32nd streets from Duquesne Road to Maiden Lane.
The routes would overlap so that people needing to go from one section to another could transfer among the vehicles.
Lolley said the vans, similar to the current MAPS vans, would be needed instead of buses like the current trolley because the trolley is too large to easily and safely maneuver through parking lots and along residential streets.
The current budget calls for the city to spend $1.1 million on MAPS, cab coupons and the service of one trolley. About $650,000 of that is reimbursed by federal subsidy, said Leslie Jones, the city’s finance director.
Lolley said it would cost about $62,000 to buy each van for use along with the trolley. That type of van would be equipped with a wheelchair lift and hold 14 passengers.
He said the budget earmarks $180,000 for replacement of MAPS vans, so he could supplant two MAPS vans with trolley-route vans and stay under budget. The vans would have to be ordered by late this month to be ready for service by the start of the next fiscal year Nov. 1.
Councilman Bill Scearce said he is on the board of Joplin Workshops, and that workers there rely on the cab coupon program and MAPS for transportation. He said he is concerned that expanding the trolley service would force cutbacks in the availability of cab coupons and MAPS service.
Lolley and Jones both said that would not happen. They said the federal government reimburses the city for half its operation costs, so the trolley service would not compete with the other programs for money.
Another council member, Benjamin Rosenberg, said the city could buy 25,000 more cab rides for the money it would spend on trolley service. He and Scearce said some people need the help of the cab driver to get in and out of a vehicle, and manage groceries and packages. They asked whether that help is available on the trolley.
Jones said the city has only about 150 riders in its cab coupon program, including workers at Joplin Workshops. Though there are no figures on how many individuals use the trolley, an average of 1,377 rides a month is given on the current trolley.
Rosenberg asked whether the survey was scientifically tested. The city staff said it wasn’t.
Councilman Phil Stinnett asked whether the council would be “spending money in the right place” by expanding the trolley service and getting more into public transportation. He questioned whether the system could provide adequate waiting and transfer stations for that type of venture.
More benches and stops are proposed by Lolley in the expansion.
Mayor Gary Shaw asked if the council thought it needed more information to advance the proposal to a formal vote. Some council members said they did need more information, and some said they weren’t convinced that trolley service is the answer for public transportation.
Rosenberg made a motion to accept the proposal. Jim West seconded. They along with Shaw, Melodee Colbert-Kean and Morris Glaze voted in favor of advancing the plan to a formal vote. Stinnett, Scearce, Jon Tupper and Mike Woolston voted “no.”
Fees and fares
Offering trolley service to most areas of the city would cause fares to change for the trolley and for MAPS. MAPS curb-to-curb service would go from $2 to $4. Regular trolley fare would remain at $1. “Deviated” service, with pickup at a home or a location other than a trolley stop, would cost $2, with children 11 and younger riding for free. A half-fare program would be offered to seniors, disabled people and those who qualify for Medicare.
