The BCRTA agreement with Miami originally dealt with transportation between the Oxford campus and regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown.
This August that will expand to a 10-year agreement to operate the university’s bus service within Oxford during the academic year. Part of that agreement included expanding routes to the Oxford community.
The community has been permitted to ride the shuttle service for $2 as part of the agreement that took effect last August and now the bus service will also be available within Oxford, beginning in August.
Routes and service areas will remain similar to those developed for the university’s privately operated Miami Metro system but specifics of the routes were the topic of several forums this spring.
Matt Dutkevicz, BCRTA assistant general manager, told council last week they are seeking suggestions for in-town destinations residents would like to see added for use by Oxford residents.
“We are preparing routes with funding from the university,” Dutkevicz said. “We are still taking comments.”
There will be a $2 fee for residents to ride the buses while Miami students will not have a fee since it is covered under Miami’s contract with the BCRTA. Dutkevicz added that they are also looking at a pass system for residents but have not completed details.
He said they expect to have buses run from College Corner Pike to Walmart and also past McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital because those are areas frequently mentioned in the spring forums.
“They will be 100 percent wheelchair accessible,” Dutkevicz said, adding that they are looking at having bike racks on the buses so passengers can travel with their bikes. There will be on-board surveillance systems for security on BCRTA buses.
The system will currently only operate during the academic year, but Dutkevicz said they are working on determining a cost to continue operation during the summer and university breaks in order to determine the possibility of finding funding for expanded operation.
Carla Lakatos, BCRTA manager, told Council they are examining possible routes and costs to connect with the Hamilton County system so that Butler County residents with jobs in Cincinnati or wanting to get there for shopping or medical visits will be able to do so.
“People here would be able to get jobs in Cincinnati as well as attract people to jobs in this area,” she said.
The current shuttle system forming a triangle between Oxford, Hamilton and Middletown is a base for expanding service around the county, Lakatos said. It is a two-hour loop linking the three cities within the county. Keeping it running when Miami is not in session will be the challenge and funding will be needed. She said she was not at c,,ouncil’s meeting to ask for money, but said that could happen in the future as they seek to keep the buses running.
“We will work with others toward that vision,” she said, adding they will also work with Cincinnati State and other entities seeking funding and routing needs. “We are getting requests from Oxford for more stops in west Hamilton.”
Locating a hub in Hamilton would allow that to happen, she said, and would allow more resources to be put into Oxford.
“We are looking for funding for the 17 weeks when Miami is not in session,” Lakatos said.
Council member Bob Blackburn asked if they were getting bigger buses and Dutkevicz admitted their fleet was a “mish-mash” including some streetcar-style buses obtained from Dayton, but he said they are working to upgrade their fleet and plan on major improvement in 2015.
“Within several years, we will have a new fleet,” he said.
Blackburn also asked if BCRTA was planning on hiring drivers currently operating Miami’s buses and Lakatos said they are encouraged to apply for job openings as they expand their service and need more drivers, adding the comment that they do not currently offer health insurance although they may in the future.
Council member Kate Rousmaniere said she attended the spring forums and heard comments about offering a route to the Oxford Senior Citizens Center on Tollgate Drive. Lakatos said she was aware of that demand.
Mayor Richard Keebler thanked Lakatos for the presentation and told her when they have a budget request it should go through the city manager’s office.
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