Major upgrades planned for Jefftran
The Jefferson City transit system is in for some major upgrades.
Despite the city council voting down an increase in bus far, Jefftran is planning a long list of maintenance and refurbishment projects.
The upgrades are possible through a grant from the Federal Transit Administration.
About $200,000 will be distributed to Jefferson City for refurbishment of its facilities and buses.
The Jefferson City Transit Director said they plan to use it as efficiently as possible.
They want to accomplish 17 projects with the money.
In order to do that, they are planning to have 80% of the funds for each project come from the federal grant, and the other 20% from the city.
There is no plan to buy any new buses because they’re in good shape and have been regularly maintained.
The facility itself, though, hasn’t been refurbished since it opened in 1982.
The majority of the grant will go toward things like new bus shelters, roof and gutter repair, upgraded cameras, and a new passenger counting system.
“Our central maintenance facility is exactly that. It provides maintenance not just to transit vehicles but also to other city vehicles. So, it’s really critical that these capabilities continue on,” said Jefferson City Transit Director Mark Mehmert.
Jefftran held an open house event where residents were able to give their input as to how the money should be spent.
Once the plan is finalized, each project will go before the transit advisory committee, then to Public Works and finally, to the city council for approval.
