“OATS & Kirk Tran transportation is available to anyone regardless of age, income, disability, race, gender, religion, or national origin.”

Our Goal

Transportation, specifically public, serves an important function in society. By providing public transportation, a city helps citizens access education, healthcare, employment, and other social needs. Each of these factors are essential for growth and development both economically and culturally.

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Map of Deviated Fixed Route 

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Riding the Kirk Tran: Our Experience

November 27, 2018

We arrived at the Kirk Tran bus stop located on Franklin and Randolph at around 12:00 pm. There we waited for about fifteen minutes, until Emily decided to call the company. Using the number provided by the bust stop, she called multiple times. The first three calls were unsuccessful as the dial tone eventually lead to voicemail. As a group we decided to wait ten more minutes at the Truman bus location until moving on to the Hyvee bus stop in hope of better luck. Once 12:30 pm arrived, we began walking to Rachel’s car to ride to Hyvee. On this walk, Emily tried calling the bus company for the fourth time. During this call she was able to reach the OATS general office, despite using the Kirksville area code. The secretary then tried to transfer me to the Kirksville branch, but the transfer lead to another voicemail.

We left for Hyvee at approximately 12:40 pm. Without any guidance, we had assumed going to a more popular bus stop might provide better results. Again, Emily called for the final time at 12:45 just before we arrived at Hyvee. She was finally able to talk to someone and as it turns out, we had arrived at the bust stop at the incorrect time. We learned that the Kirk Tran arrived at the Franklin and Randolph (Truman) bus stop about fifteen minutes before the next hour. Emily also asked about the Hyvee stop and she told us it was about ten minutes after every hour. Knowing some of us had class in the next hour, we made a mutual decision to try riding the Kirk Tran again on Friday now that we had a better understanding of when the bus would arrive.

November 30, 2017

Knowing the bus arrived about fifteen minutes before the next hour, we all met at the Truman stop at 12:40. Luckily for us we immediately saw the bus coming on Franklin. The bus stopped at the stop sign and we began to walk towards it. Before we reached the bus, it left. Confused, we walked back to the bus stop shelter and Emily once again, called the company.

After going through the transfer, Emily talked to a new secretary who informed her that the bus who drove past might have been a reservation bus. By this, she meant that some individuals call ahead to reserve or schedule times to be picked up. She said it was common to have multiple busses running different routes as well as one bus driving the main route. Emily asked again about when we should expect the main bus and she replied that the bus may arrive twenty minutes before or after the already approximated time.

We decided to wait another twenty minutes. About ten minutes into our wait, we saw another OATS bus coming north on South Franklin. Thrilled, we believed this to be our bus, and we began walking towards it. Unfortunately, the bus never stopped. It continued traveling north, passing us as we watched it go by. By this time, we were cold and frustrated.

Despite failing to ride the Kirk Tran, our group still learned a lot about it. We discovered the bus system was very unreliable as time arrivals and departures greatly varied. We learned the telephone number provided at the bus stop work only part of the time and often concluded in disappointing results. A  positive thing we learned was that there are multiple buses that citizens may use if times are reserved. This means if an individual knows how to access this opportunity, he or she can schedule rides to appointments or other transportation needs such as grocery pickup.

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A First-Hand Account: Tista Pearson

~We interviewed Tista Pearson, a 22-year-old citizen living in Kirksville who does not have access to a car and relies on Krk Tran every morning to get to her job working at a hotel in town~

How did you discover the Kirk Tran?

“I just kind of knew of its existence already, but I went online to find out more information about how they operated and for the schedule of stops.”

Is the Kirk Tran a reliable source of transportation for you?

“Yes.”

Does it continue operation during colder temperatures or snow?

“As far as I know, yes. I do know that they still operate during the cold season, but I am not positive if they still run when the streets are covered in snow and ice. I think they do unless it is too unsafe, but I don’t know that for a fact.”

Have you had to call into work due to bus/transportation issues?

“No.”

How much does the bus on average cost you a week?

“$0 There is a “suggested donation’ fee of $2, which I was made to believe was a mandatory fee when first riding, but later discovered that was a lie, but I never pay it.”

Generally, how long does the bus stop at your location?

“I think this depends on the number of stops and the driver that day, but they only stop for one to two minutes.”

Is there enough time to do quick activities such as grocery shopping?

“The buses run on a deviated fixed route daily, so no. You must plan how long it will take to do your activity and then schedule a return ride for when you think you’ll be done. They will ask if you need a return ride from your destination when scheduling a ride there.”

Do you feel safe riding the Kirk Tran? Are the conditions on the bus and near the stops safe and/or sanitary?

“I feel pretty safe. The buses have seat belts that you must wear before the bus will leave. I only know of one stop, but it seems pretty safe.”

How often do you ride Kirk Tran each week?

“Mon-Fri”

Where do you usually go when you ride Kirk Tran?

“Work”

What types of people ride Kirk Tran?

“People without a personal mode of transport, disabled people, mentally disabled adults, the elderly, people with mobility problems.”

Does Kirk Tran stop at a bus stop that is close to where you live?

“There is actually a stop that is literally right in front of my houses front porch, so it’s super convenient.”

Which stops do you get on and off at?

“The one in front of my house.”

How long is the commute?

“Five to Seven minutes, depending on morning traffic.”

Is the bus schedule convenient with your work schedule?

“No, I work too early to use the deviated fixed route, so I must call and schedule a ride outside of the times listed. Other than that, the busses do run early enough for me to use them for my work commute.”

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Our Conclusions

After doing extensive research about the Oats bus that runs throughout Kirksville, we learned many things about the accessibility and functionality of the service. Overall, this service is definitely affordable, costing only $4 per round trip, but we later found out this price is actually a “donation” of sorts, allowing those who cannot pay to ride use the service for free. For many low income riders, this is a highly appreciated practice. The bus route included many stops that are helpful for lower income individuals, such as stops in government housing areas, grocery stores, medical clinics, rehab facilities, and more that are further explained in the map. While this seems to be a very useful process, we discovered first hand that this bus is harder to ride than we once thought. While it does have incredibly useful stops throughout the route, it tends to be off schedule by about 20 minutes, which can be detrimental to those with time-sensitive needs, such as doctor’s appointments. To combat this, we learned of the on-demand bus that does pick ups if a day of notice is given. Once again, this is a low level of functionality when you take into account possible medical emergencies, a potential lack of a phone, or other issues a lower income individual may have. The bus, while affordable and created with good in mind, does have issues that need to be addressed to allow Kirksville to be a more economically-equal and opportunity-rich society.

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Contributors

Clare Bush

Rachel Fechter

Emily Futhey

Lydia Helfrich

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Sources

“Adair County.” OATS Transportation, OATS Transit, 2018, www.oatstransit.org/adair.

Benson & Bishaw. “Small and Large College Towns see Higher Poverty Rates.”

U.S. Census Bureau,  http://www.robertmanduca.com/projects/jobs.html Accessed 15 November 2018

Express, Kirksville Daily Express – Kirksville, MO, 8 May 2018, 

“Deviated Fixed Route.” City of Kirksville, http://www.kirksvillecity.com/content/9699/9825/9833/10433.aspx.  Accessed 15 November 2018

“Getting to Kirksville, Missouri.” Visit Kirksville ICal, Kirksville Tourism Office, 2018, visitkirksville.com/getting-here/.\ 

“Kirk Tran.” City of Kirksville, http://www.kirksvillecity.com/kirktran Accessed 15 November 2018

“Kirksville Heights in Kirksville, Missouri.” Affordable Housing Online, 2018,

affordablehousingonline.com/housing-search/Missouri/Kirksville#apartments.

“Street Maintenance.” Parks & Recreation 1/2 Sales Tax – City of Kirksville, Missouri, City of Kirksville, 2018,www.kirksvillecity.com/content/9693/9727/9755/9761/default.aspx.

“The Opportunity Atlas.” The Opportunity Atlas, Darkhorse Analytics, 2018, www.opportunityatlas.org/.

“Where are the Jobs.” http://www.robertmanduca.com/projects/jobs.html Accessed 15 November 2018