Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
SIDNEY--The week of April 22-26, 2024, has been designated Public Transportation Week, and Sidney Public Transportation Director Kasey Kantor has events lined up for the week that will make public transportation users happy.
“I think this is the fifth or sixth year we've celebrated Public Transportation Week, and we always have some prizes and special offers for bus riders here,' said Kantor.
Sidney's Public Transportation system has been growing tremendously over the past few years, and more busses are on order to keep up with the demand. “We had an opportunity to order two busses and only have to pay a small amount for them since the state and federal government pick up the vast majority of the cost. So we got our orders in and hopefully we'll get the two busses by the end of the year. There's a big waiting period for new busses in Nebraska,” said Kantor.
The system has grown from just three drivers and Kantor just a few years ago to seven drivers, a dedicated dispatcher, and Kantor now working Sidney's Public Transportation beat.
“We've grown tremendously. In the first three months of 2023, we had 4,291 rides and in the first three months of 2024 that grew to 7,394 rides, over 3100 new rides over that time frame,” he said.
One of the drivers is Kirsty Taylor, who has been driving for Sidney for a little over a year now. “It's a fun job, I get to see the city, see what's going on, like when a house pops up for sale. Plus I get to drive the kids around. I work from 7 until 4, so I get to drive everyone, but my favorite passengers are the kids. It's probably because I'm a grandma,” Taylor said.
The Sidney busses have recently been wrapped in a bright and attractive design that's hard to miss but looks good. The busses are all clean and in good shape, and make for a comfortable ride to and from wherever you need to go.
“During the week of April 22 through 26, we're going to have some special events and gifts. We'll have goody-bags for the riders that have lanyards, flashlights, multi-tools and some will even have free bus passes,” said Kantor.
“Wednesday is “Walmart Wednesday”, so on April 24, Walmart is picking up the tab for all riders using the Sidney bus system. On Thursday, we're offering buy one ride and get 1/2 on another ride for scan passes, and on Friday, SRMC will be picking up the tab for rides all day,” said Kantor.
“On Wednesday night we're having an employee appreciation night, with a free dinner provided to employees and their families. We can sit around and swap stories about interesting rides, like the time a little while back when country music star Lee Brice hopped on to one of the busses for a ride,” he said.
Kantor has been with the City of Sidney for about four years now, and under his direction the service has grown and improved tremendously. Kantor says economic conditions have helped spur increased ridership.
Kantor said, “Back when we had COVID, our ridership declined dramatically, but afterwards we started seeing a big increase. It's just a $1.50 to ride, and when you take into account gas prices and how expensive it is to keep a vehicle, the bus system becomes a smart alternative. I think ridership will continue to increase for some time in the future.”
To schedule a call or get more information on the service, call 308-254-7070.
Reader Comments(0)