Kalamazoo Metro Transit

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Kalamazoo Metro Transit is a public transport service which operates twenty-three routes within the Kalamazoo, Michigan metropolitan area. Most of these routes serve the city of Kalamazoo, but some extend into the neighboring communities of Portage, Parchment, Comstock Township, Kalamazoo Township, and Oshtemo Township. Service is primarily by bus, although a special Metro Van service is available for disabled riders for whom the regular buses are inaccessible.

1 Organization and History
2 Funding
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Organization and History

Kalamazoo Metro Transit was formed in 1967, when residents of Kalamazoo voted to acquire the failing private transit company Kalamazoo City Lines. In 1980, with the purchase of a new bus fleet, Metro Transit operated the first fully wheelchair-accesible fleet in Michigan.

Metro Transit is governed by a a Board of Directors. The seven members are appointed by the Kalamazoo City Commission to terms of three years. Members must be residents of the city of Kalamazoo.

In 2003, over three million trips were made with Kalamazoo Metro Transit, with about a third of passengers having no driver's license, automobile, or other means of personal transport.

[edit] Funding

Metro Transit is primarily funded by a combination of federal, state, and local contributions, with rider fares making up 19.25% of the operating budget (2003 figure). Declining financial support from the State of Michigan and a flagging local economy, in combination with rising fuel prices, have led Metro Transit to increase fares in recent years to the current rate (as of March 2006) of $1.35 per adult. In 2006, voters approved a millage which will permit Metro Transit to retain night and Saturday service and also add two routes in Portage.^[1]

The Kalamazoo Transportation Center serves as the primary transfer hub for Kalamazoo Metro Transit.