Ozark Regional Transit asks public to complete survey on light-bus rapid transit

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 257 views 

Springdale-based transit provider Ozark Regional Transit (ORT), along with the Walton Family Foundation, is asking the public to complete a survey to assess the potential to operate a higher level of bus service along U.S. Highway 71B or Interstate 49, between Fayetteville and Bentonville.

The proposed service would be light-bus rapid transit and would include the following features: priority treatment at traffic signals to improve travel time, special platforms allowing riders to quickly board buses, and a connecting bus with no waiting time to reach a rider’s final destination.

A pilot project to operate a “higher level of bus service” is in the works, according to ORT. In planning for the proposed service, the project team will host an employee survey. It will “assess the attitudes of the employees to determine if there is an interest for a higher level of bus service” on Highway 71B or I-49, between Fayetteville and Bentonville, and “identify service levels and amenities that would encourage you to ride.”

The survey is expected to take a few minutes. Deadline to complete it is Sept. 13. More information is available by emailing Bennett Powell at [email protected].

Click here to take the survey.

In late January, the Walton Family Foundation gave ORT a $140,000 grant to conduct a feasibility study on the proposed light-bus rapid transit service. KFH Group of Austin, Texas, was hired to complete the study. The study is expected to be completed in September.