Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Without Kosciusko Area Bus Service (KABS), Daytona has to walk 3 miles to get to work.
Tammie Denton, who doesn’t have a car, uses KABS to get groceries or to get to an appointment.
Both were passengers on KABS’ deviated fixed route - known as the Lake City Loop - in Warsaw and Winona Lake during the approximate 10:43 to 11:43 a.m. period Thursday.
The deviated fixed route began Sept. 8. A deviated fixed route is a transit service that operates on a specific route with specific stop points, but allows for riders to request deviations from the route.
With bus driver Greg Haynes behind the wheel, KABS General Manager Kristin Rude rode along the Loop Thursday to talk about the route and answer questions.
Rude said the Loop ridership started off real strong during the fare-free weeks as people were coming out to learn about it.
“We had a lot of ridership. And then when we introduced the fares, our ridership dropped some, but we’ve seen that rebound some as we’ve gone on,” she said.
With these kind of routes, it’s not unheard of that ridership drops at the end of the month and then becomes more populace at the beginning of the month as people are getting their checks at the first of the month and need to get out, she explained.
“That’s kind of across all transit systems that run that type of route,” Rude said. “The fact that we introduced our fares at the end of September, and we saw the dip, is probably a combination of the two things.”
Fare for the deviated fixed route is $1 per trip, with a deviation costing an additional 50 cents. Children 8 and under are free, with a limit of two per fare-paying adult. A monthly pass is $20 and can be purchased at the KABS office. To request a deviation from the fixed route, call 574-267-4990, preferably at least a day in advance. The bus can deviate one time per hour to locations within a quarter mile radius of the fixed route.
KABS’ on-demand service is still available Monday through Friday.
Currently, the Lake City Loop is averaging about a rider per hour.
“I think, overall, we’re happy with that. Our first benchmark, we’d really like to see two riders per hour, so just continuing to share the word and get the word out to people, making sure they know that this is an option and, as far as affordability, really can’t beat it as an option,” Rude stated.
16 Stops
There are 16 stops along the route, with the most popular “on” stops being at Walmart and the Warsaw Community Public Library (WCPL). Walmart and WCPL are also the most popular “off” stops, with some close stops being at Buffalo and Market streets, Martin’s, The Village at Winona and then the KABS office.
Monday through Friday, the first loop of the route starts at about 7:43 a.m. at the KABS office, with its first stop being the library. Drivers stop the bus there because they try to stay on “time points,” and the library is the first of the time point stops. They won’t leave the library stop until it’s the top of the hour - 8, 9, 10, 11 a.m., etc.
“So, even if he gets here 10 minutes early, he’ll sit here and wait until that top of the hour to move on, so that way we stay on track. And that time is built in for those deviations,” Rude said. Deviations take up more time, as will loading wheelchairs or bicycles. “So, the times that are listed on the schedules are really a suggested time. Where the bus may be going five minutes early, we stop at those time points to catch up if we’re running early so that way we stay on track.”
KABS doesn’t track rider demographics, such as rider’s age, except for kids ages 8 and under because they are free with a paying adult.
“We track by cash fare, ticket fare or Grace College student due to an agreement we have with Grace, so we don’t track demographically otherwise for this route. There’s no profiles associated with riders, no requirements to track those things,” she said.
As for deviations from the route, Rude said they definitely have availability to have more of them.
“We have had some deviations, with our most populous deviation stops being (Courts at) Colfax, the new Bowen Health, 802 Center (Apartments), Enterprise Drive - the food stamp office. So those are our top deviations right now. That’s something that I really want to continue working with the public to understand - how to schedule and how the deviations work,” she said.
Haynes’ shift, which is 9:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., is probably the busiest time for the Loop.
“That is where we’re getting our most rides. And then second would be that 1:45 to the 6 o’clock window,” Rude said. “Our mornings, the 7:45 to 9:45, is pretty quiet. We might get one or two riders, but it’s not the most needed timeframe at this point.”
Tracker
There is a tracker on the Loop’s bus.
On https://passiogo.com, or on the app, a person can log into the Interurban Trolley, “because right now we’re borrowing a device from MACOG (Michiana Area Council of Governments). We will be incorporating that with our new software when we purchase that, but until that’s all up and running, we’re borrowing from MACOG.”
Once a person is logged into the system in MACOG’s district, they can scroll down to Warsaw and see where the bus is.
“So if I’m a passenger, waiting at Walmart, and I’m curious, ‘Did I miss the bus? Where is it?’ I can log in here and see” where it’s at and if the bus was missed, Rude explained. “So that’s another really cool feature.”
Riders
Warsaw resident Tammie Denton said she uses KABS two or three times a week as she doesn’t have her license or a car. She’ll ride the bus to get groceries or to get to an appointment.
“I like it. I like it,” she said of KABS. At first, she thought the deviated fixed route would be too long to ride a bus - the whole Loop takes an hour - but after riding it for a few weeks, she changed her mind. “I think it’s nice. I like that. Just sit back and ride.”
Denton said she catches the bus at Courts of Colfax, and took a deviation Thursday.
“I like to get out and go get my groceries or go to the store, Walmart, to get something. I really like (KABS). ... I think it’s really nice. I like riding, I do,” she said.
Daytona caught the bus at the WCPL to get to work at Taco Bell. He said he takes KABS to work whenever he can catch them, and the deviated fixed route has helped. He gets on it Monday through Friday.
“I’ve taken it for a couple weeks, since it started,” he said, adding that it’s been very helpful. “I have to walk three miles to Taco Bell. So it’s been pretty helpful.”
If he has a weekend shift at work, he walks.
Drivers & Buses
Rude said KABS has three drivers on the Loop every day. The first driver does the route for two hours, Haynes does four hours and then a third driver does the last four hours. Initially, the route was started with two drivers, but they quickly learned the route didn’t provide much break time for the drivers so it can get pretty tiring.
“So, we split the shift up to where nobody’s getting burnt out and we’re still able to meet those needs,” she said.
The bus being used Thursday is the primary bus for the Loop, unless it’s in the shop for mechanical or maintenance purposes. KABS does have a spare bus assigned to cover the Loop if the primary bus is off.
It’s a 12-passenger bus, with the capacity for two wheelchairs. A bike rack on the front of the bus can transport two bicycles at a time.
Haynes drove for KABS for two years, took an early retirement and then came back.
“I pretty well know the ropes,” he said. “Tammie is one of our regulars. I used to pick her up, and some people who are not with us anymore - older people who have gone places. In general, some people you try to help. Reach out a helping hand for them. That’s what I do, makes everything go a little smoother.”
Rude said Haynes has a heart of gold.
“He won’t toot his own horn, but he’s very passionate about our passengers. He has gone above and beyond many times,” she stated. “I think, on a whole, if you ask any of our drivers, the relationships with passengers ... that’s a big reason people like their jobs. We also have a really good team at KABS, I think, so that helps.”
With rural transit, there can be a high turnover rate of staff. Rude said KABS has been “pretty blessed” that with the changes they made they now have a really good group of employees. That’s not to say they don’t have some turnover, but compared to other transits, it’s minimal.
Drivers are given annual employee evaluations. When a driver is hired, they go through pretty extensive training, Rude said, and have both shadow time with an experienced driver, drive time with an experienced driver shadowing them and all the drivers go through Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) training. Drivers are given background checks and participate in a drug and alcohol program where they’re randomly screened. There are monthly observations.
“There’s monitoring. We have cameras on the bus as well. So if there’s ever a safety incident, both for passengers and/or the driver, we can always pull the footage and kind of reference what’s going on and do more teaching/training if needed. But we have a really good group of drivers. We don’t really have too many issues,” Rude said.
A mechanic is on staff at KABS, and the 12 buses in the fleet are checked regularly.
“It’s all very regulated, and we have to remain in compliance with INDOT’s guidelines for all of that,” she said. “Safety first, absolutely.”
For more information about KABS and the deviated fixed route, visit the website at https://cardinalservices.org/services/kabs/
