By Moses Leos III

Kyle residents depending on the Capital Metro Transportation Authority’s (CMTA) Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) program will be able to use the service into the 2015 fiscal year (FY15). 

But Kyle is in the process of working with Capital Metro to possibly expand service if the need arises in the future. 

Kyle and Capital Metro began discussions on expanding service during budget talks in August. Michelle Meaux, regional coordinator and planner at CMTA, presented CMTA’s expansion policies at the Aug. 28 city council meeting. 

Currently, Kyle operates under a Demand Response contract with CMTA for CARTS services. Funding comes from Section 5307 funds, which are matching funds allocated from the Federal Transit Authority for urbanized areas. 2010 U.S. Census figures group Kyle in the Austin Urbanized Area. 

In FY 2014, Kyle was eligible for roughly $140,000 in 5307 funds based on the city’s population. 

The city is only using $54,000 of those funds to go toward the $108,000 price tag for para-transit service. 

Kyle residents who use para-transit services gain access to grocery stores and doctors’ offices. 

However, those who wish to use the para-transit service must call and schedule an appointment for pickup. 

“It’s not a very robust type of service, but that’s what (Capital Metro) has always provided in this area,” Jerry Hendrix, spokesperson for the City of Kyle and CARTS liaison, said. 

But with CMTA’s updated service expansion plan, which was updated in April 2014, the city could adjust its transit options if need be in the future. 

Five options are on the table for cities wishing to extend service. Those options range from joining Capital Metro, to forming an agreement for service in the form of a Local Government Corporation (LGC). 

The process begins with the implementation of a Transit Development Plan.  

The TDP is a three-year plan that helps to identify a jurisdiction’s transit service needs. Capital Metro would provide technical support for the TDP. In addition, Section 5307 funds could be used to support the TDP’s development. However, a jurisdiction’s governing body must adopt the TDP. 

Within the TDP, a jurisdiction must include a variety of analysis and explanations about why the service is needed. Analysis of transit growth patterns, performance evaluation of any existing service and estimates of demand for service are a few of the necessary data.

In addition, jurisdictions must develop a monitoring program to track performance of the proposed service. Ridership, on-time performance and number of accidents are a few factors weighed in the analysis. 

In turn, Capital Metro would begin analyzing financing options. Following the allocation of funds, Cap Metro would put out a call for projects. 

Those projects would go to the Regional Section 5307 review team, which consists of five members from Cap Metro, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), CARTS and the Capital Area Coalition of Governments (CAPCOG). 

Projects are then scored and ranked prior to going to the Cap Metro Board for consideration and approval. 

However, six months is needed for developing a TDP. Hendrix said Kyle’s new city manager and city council would have to hammer out details of any future transit plan. 

One such option could be the implementation of “rotator routes.” However, the scale of those routes, along with how much they would cost is to be determined. 

“As we mature, council may want to look at something that is more robust that isn’t as limited, and that would appeal to more people,” Hendrix said. “That’s what TDP would get us into. What would that service look like, where it would go and how much it would cost.” 

Hendrix said no money was budgeted in FY 15 for service expansion. He estimates funding could be added into the FY 16 budget. 

“[A TDP] is going to cost money. They (Capital Metro) are working on how that is going to work out,” Hendrix said. “Before anything else happens, a TDP has to happen.”