By Moses Leos III

After demand-response service was cut from the fiscal year 2016 budget, Kyle city staff is now on the clock to find a new option for residents who need transportation assistance. 

But with a Sept. 30 deadline looming, the Kyle City Council unanimously approved an interlocal agreement (ILA) to extend Capital Metro’s Capital Area Rural Transportation Service (CARTS) through December. 

Their vote appropriates $8,000 from the FY 16 budget to cover Kyle’s portion of its ILA with Capital Metro. That will extend CARTS service from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. The remaining portion, roughly $5,300, will be covered by Section 5307 funds.

According to Kyle Chief of Staff Jerry Hendrix, Kyle’s current service with Capital Metro is demand-response. 

The process involves a client calling Capital Metro to schedule a time for a CARTS para-transit bus to ferry the rider to a location. Approximately 50 to 60 people use CARTS in Kyle, with many using the servive to go to grocery stores and doctors’ offices. 

“It’s not a very convenient system for riders,” Hendrix said. “It’s kind of an option of last resort.” 

Hendrix said there was a “pretty significant” uptick in trips and hours of CARTS service in Kyle comparing this year to last year, but added that didn’t necessarily translate to more riders. He said the city is awaiting final numbers from CARTS. 

But after Dec. 31, those residents will not be able to use the demand-response service. In September, the Kyle City Council chose to eliminate $75,000 for the CARTS program. 

Hendrix said the city is now looking to find an alternative option to supplant the loss of CARTS. 

“We want to find a system to replace CARTS service, depending on what kind of funding that might become available,” Hendrix said. He said the goal of city staff is to find a service that is “more responsive to our residents” and provides “more convenient type of service.” 

“As we move forward and we get bigger and have more options, we want to incorporate a more robust system,” Hendrix said. 

But what options are out there to replace CARTS?

Hendrix said the city is in the “beginning stages” of exploring that. In addition the city is still exploring what the potential cost could be from the new transportation service. 

According to Hendrix, council directed staff to have a request for proposal (RFP) to provide a similar service. In addition, he said the city will gauge input from the public as well. 

The city plans to have a new system in place by the end of 2015.