MOUNT VERNON — Local transportation officials will use survey results to determine the feasibility of a fixed-route format for Knox Area Transit.
The Knox County commissioners contracted with RLS & Associates in February to study the issue.
Nearly 400 individuals responded to a variety of questions during the month-long survey:
•Age, number of vehicles per household, and family income
•Residence and destination
•Why they did or did not ride KAT
“This information, along with the data we submitted and the feedback from the public meeting in March, will go into a draft report,” KAT director Bethany Celmar told the commissioners on June 25.
“From that draft report, we’ll get suggestions, possible alternatives, cost effectiveness, and solutions.”
Celmar said that based on survey results, a fixed-route format would include the downtown area to Coshocton Avenue and a loop through northern neighborhoods.
A Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Knox County Career Center, and Mount Vernon High School loop might be another potential route. However, Celmar is not sure there is enough ridership.
“It feels like I’m seeing fewer MVNU buses,” she said. “They might be cutting down, and that might be a good partnership. I don’t want to rule that out.”
Celmar said KAT still needs some sort of shuttle around Coshocton Avenue.
“I can also see that for the downtown to make sure people have good accessibility,” she told the commissioners.
KAT will get one new bus this year and has ordered several more. In addition, the agency is pursuing rebranding, a new transit hub on West High Street, and a strategic plan for services.
“Hopefully, all of those will come to fruition at the same time,” Celmar said.
Local transportation survey results
KAT currently operates a shared ride demand response service. This means a passenger schedules a vehicle to pick them up and take them where they need to go, sharing the ride with other passengers.
Fixed route service is when busses follow a predetermined route and stop at specific locations at assigned times. Paratransit (curb-to-curb) services for eligible individuals with disabilities supplement the fixed routes.
| Have a personal vehicle | 85% |
| Time of day does not fit with my schedule | 14% |
| Days of week do not fit with my schedule | 1% |
| Does not go where I need it to go | 6% |
| Do not feel safe | 5% |
| Do not know how | 5% |
| Too expensive | 4% |
| Friends or family take me where I need to go | 1% |
| Other | 12% |
More than 50% of survey respondents favored a combination of shared-ride demand and fixed-route service.
Mount Vernon residents accounted for 40% of respondents, and 86% of non-student respondents listed Mount Vernon as their destination. Primary destinations include Walmart, Kroger, Knox Community Hospital, and the Community Health Center.
Secondary locations include Mount Vernon municipal buildings, the Knox County Service Center, The Station Break Senior Center, Ariel Corp. or the industrial park, and Kenyon College.
Medical appointments were the most frequent reason for riding KAT. Shopping and work were the next most common reasons.
Having access to a personal vehicle was the reason why 85% said they did not ride.
However, respondents also cited lack of punctuality from KAT, safety perceptions, lack of schedule compatibility, and too expensive as reasons.
The majority of respondents (36%) had a monthly family income of $2,430 or less. Fifty-four percent either had no vehicle or one vehicle.
Most respondents said they would rely on friends or family for transportation if they lost the ability to drive.
Twenty-five percent would use KAT, and the rest would opt for walking or bicycling or use taxi, Uber, or Lyft services.
Respondents also cited the need for public transit on weekends and after 6 p.m. during the week.
