Rogers-Lowell Area News

ORT Reports Positive Ridership Numbers in Fayetteville Transit Routes

In August of this year, multiple changes occurred in the Ozark Regional Transit (ORT) routes in Fayetteville. Routes were streamlined and coordinated with Razorback Transit to reduce redundant service, the frequency of each route was increased and, in some cases, wait times were cut in half. In addition, the City of Fayetteville picked up all bus fares for the three Fayetteville ORT routes, thereby making public transit free on all the city’s routes for the rest of 2018.

Ridership numbers have been tallied since August, which reveals an increase in passengers in the city. After the changes took effect, there was an anticipated drop in ridership, and as immediately ridership has steadily increased.

Prior to the August 20 changes, a 10-day ridership window showed an average of 407 passengers per day. A similar 10-day ridership window that ended on October 23 shows 471 passengers per day; a 16 percent increase.

By comparison to the same month a year ago: the Fayetteville routes averaged 334 per day for the month of October, with as many as 473 passengers in one particular day. So far this October, that average is 460 per day, on average, and as many as 581 passengers in one particular day. This constitutes a 38 percent increase, on average, over last year.

These numbers are an indication that the changes made are ones that the potential transit passenger is looking for and is evidence of more people using transit to get around Fayetteville to jobs, education, entertainment and multiple other destinations. 

ABOUT OZARK REGIONAL TRANSIT 
ORT has three Fixed Routes in Fayetteville, three in Springdale, two in Rogers and one in Bentonville. Additionally, ORT offers an express bus service between Fayetteville and Bentonville which is very popular and free for NWACC students.

Curb-to-Curb services are offered in all 4 cities with Fixed-Route Service and — to a more limited extent — in rural areas and smaller cities in Washington, Benton, Madison and Carroll counties, Monday through Friday.

All ORT vehicles are wheelchair accessible and all Fixed Route buses are bicycle-friendly. Information on Curb-to-Curb Service and Fixed-Route transit can be obtained by calling ORT at (479) 756-5901 or by visiting ORT’s website: www.ozark.org.  

For more information on this subject, call Jeff Hatley at 479-365-2161.