UCHRA reports a 17.6 percent increase in ridership over the last fiscal year after waiving the $1 fare for its city “Go” routes.
Transportation Hub Manager Jenel Hill said the agency provided 125,597 total rides across Putnam, Cumberland and Warren County during the fiscal year that ended in June. Hill said the decision to eliminate the fee was driven by a desire to remove any financial barriers for residents who rely on public transportation.
“We had done a test with it on a couple of the holidays, a couple of different events, like we gave a that day as being a free ride for that you know that route, that deviated route and stuff,” Hill said. “And so it was just you know it was such an impact that they they just kept pushing for it.”
Hill said the rising cost of vehicle ownership and fuel has contributed to the growing demand for public transit options across the region. Hill said many residents lack reliable vehicles or the funds necessary to maintain the insurance coverage required by the state.
“More people are relying on somebody else to help get them around,” Hill said.
Hill said the free fare policy applies to any passenger over the age of 18 regardless of their income level. Hill said the agency does not require passengers to provide their names or any personal identification to board the city routes. UCHRA funds its free rides through T-DOT funding.
“You got clients that ride throughout the city and stuff and everything and it’s an easy quick fix to get around the town,” Hill said. “But a lot of them you you see that are riding it do not have jobs, so they may not have the extra spending money or funds on them to ride it. There is a groups of homelessness, homelessness in the communities and stuff. So your bigger cities will have to be able to help transport them around the city also.”
Hill said Transportation Route Coordinator Jerry Myers is working on adjusting routes in Putnam County to accommodate the high volume of passengers. Hill said Cookeville’s blue route remains the most popular.
“It normally stays packed and stuff, I mean the rest all of them stay packed, but our blue route normally stays extremely packed to the point that we were still doing our stops but we couldn’t put nobody else on the bus until that bus got completely done with their route,” Hill said.
Hill said the agency also offers route deviations for passengers living within a quarter-mile of a standard route. Hill said drivers can be radioed to pick up or drop off residents at specific addresses if the schedule allows for the extra time.
“I do push safety first and stuff so that hopefully all rides or all people that are riding experience a good ride and a safe ride,” Hill said. “And other than that I hope everybody enjoys public transportation.”
