City of Columbia explores transit service to Jefferson City
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The city of Columbia's Public Transit Advisory Commission met Tuesday to discuss the city's transit system and a possible new bus service between Columbia and Jefferson City.
The agenda included a Missouri Department of Transportation Bus Study.
The MoDOT Bus Study is part of a statewide effort to improve transportation networks. The study explores a transit service between downtown Columbia and Jefferson City and Amtrak.
According to MoDOT, data is being collected on the needs of Central Missouri residents, workers and visitors to develop the most efficient transit service. Research done by MoDOT's Transit Division showed a lack of public transit services between the two major population centers along Highway 63.
MoDOT recently sent out a public survey asking about travel preferences and desires for a future bus route between Columbia and Jefferson City.
The city is also exploring the idea of working with Google to allow trip planning via Google Maps.
The commission also discussed an upcoming transit study and the commission's role in the study. City Manager De'Carlon Seewood has made public transportation one of his priorities. Seewood included money in the fiscal 2023 budget to support the transit study.
"The last study was done what, six years ago or something like that. And the city has changed in six years," Mike Sokoloff, Transit & Parking Manager said at Tuesday's meeting.
Sokoloff said the transit commission is the lead on the study and will look into what areas of the transit system need to be improved.
"We really need to serve based on current resources that we have. Do we need to adjust routes, do we need to remove routes do we need to add a route?" Sokoloff said.
Currently, data is being collected on the needs of Missouri residents, workers and visitors with the hopes of creating an efficient transit service along Highway 63. The commission said the transit study could take months to a year, but they want to hear from the community on ways to better improve the transit system.
