Lawrence Transit is making tweaks to some bus route schedules based on community feedback since major route redesigns went into effect at the beginning of the year.
Changes are coming to routes 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 10, and they’ll take effect Monday, Feb. 12, according to a city news release.
Here are the specific changes noted in the release:
• “Additional trips in the morning for better school and work access on Routes 6, 7, and 9.
• Improved transfer timing downtown (Routes 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7) and at Central Station (Routes 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12).
• Direct access to Free State High School on Route 10.”
“As with any large change, there were some difficulties,” according to the release. “Passengers swiftly let transit staff know what was working and what wasn’t. Thanks to that detailed feedback, staff was able to make some improvements in the short term.”
One change, for example, will add morning stops on Route 7. The northbound bus will have an additional stop at 31st and Iowa at 7:45 a.m., and the southbound bus will have an additional 6:30 a.m. stop at Seventh and Vermont streets.
Some community members voiced concerns that the Route 7 bus was only stopping once per hour, so students and faculty members taking Route 7 northbound to Billy Mills Middle School or Lawrence High School only had the option to get to school quite early or late. The change will add a stop that will allow people to get to 27th and Louisiana streets at approximately 7:58 a.m., before school starts at 8:15 a.m. at Billy Mills, and approximately on time to LHS, where school starts at 8 a.m.
See the full updated transit guide at this link.
Some route changes have been made in order to allow Lawrence Transit to cover Sunday on-demand service.
“In order to afford those additional service hours, trips have been removed from areas of the schedule with lower ridership,” according to the release. “In making changes to routes, schedules, and days of service, transit staff is trying to find the balance of serving everyone in our community well.”
After the changes take effect Feb. 12, the next route changes will come in August 2024, on Lawrence Transit’s regular schedule of annual route updates.
“Rather than wait for annual route changes in August, we think we can respond now to some of the more frequent concerns we hear coming up,” Adam Weigel, transit and parking manager for the city, said in the release. “No plan is perfect, so we’re hopeful riders will notice we are working with them to make things better as quick as we can.”
Staff members have opened a survey for feedback from riders in the first few months of the new year. The survey will be active through 11:59 p.m. April 1, and submissions can be made on the city’s website, via lawrenceks.org/listens/surveys/.
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Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
