LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- TARC is ready for the public to weigh in on the future of Louisville's public transportation.
The Transit Authority of the River City wants to hear from the public's thoughts on three concepts before it formalizes its final proposal later this year.
TARC unveiled the three concepts at a news conference on Tuesday focusing on coverage, ridership and growth.
The coverage concept maintains how far buses drive out on the county. It would use TARC's available resources to run buses to stops across the county, but the buses would not run as often.
The Ridership concept prioritizes high ridership areas. Waits for a bus stop would be shorter in this concept, but overall, fewer areas would have service.
The final concept is the growth concept, where TARC would get increased funding and can maintain a lot of what riders have grown accustomed to.
To see details for all three concepts including maps, click here.Â
TARC executive director Ozzy Gibson said unless city and business leaders invest in TARC, a diminished public transit will negatively alter the city's landscape.
"It's going to be up to the powers that be to find us more revenue to decide what they want to fund, and if they choose not to fund it, we're going to step back big time," Gibson said. "It will be a big change, and it will hurt Louisville and this region for years to come."
TARC has also created a Stakeholder Advisory Committee to weigh in on next steps. The committee is a diverse group of government leaders, elected officials, neighborhood leaders, major employer representatives and non-profit community service organizations.Â
TARC said it will finalize a plan in the fall to get approval from stakeholders and city leaders. Before that, it needs input on these plans.
TARC survey
Between July 30 and Sept. 12, TARC will ask community members to take a survey on the concepts and voice their opinion. The survey is available on the TARC website, RideTarc.org/Tarc 2025. Paper versions of the survey are also available upon request.Â
TARC also plans to reach out the community for feedback by holding several open house meetings, pop up meetings at bus stops and virtual Q and A sessions every Thursday from Aug. 8 to Sept. 5. It will also utilize social media and a text line at (833) 698-3748.Â
Below is a list of public meetings where TARC will be presenting the three concepts. If there are organizations who would like to be added, email TARC2025@ridetarc.org.
TARC budget cuts
The transit service launched a planning process earlier this year called TARC 2025 to find out what the community wants the future of TARC to look like.
TARC is looking for options after the service lost federal COVID relief money that funded 40 to 50% of all routes. It also gets less money from the state than other similar sized cities.Â
At the end of June, TARC reduced 22 of its 30 fixed-route bus lines, discontinued three routes funded by temporary grants and reduced the frequency of 19 additional routes to try to reduce spending.Â
Related coverage:Â
- Mayor Greenberg says Louisville will form its own transportation department
- After service reductions, TARC using federal grant to help purchase new electric buses
- Riders of TARC in Louisville struggling with cuts that begin Sunday, more cuts possible
- JCPS, halfway through summer, lays out plan to incorporate TARC bus drivers
- TARC releases details on routes impacted by service reductions starting June 30
- 'Not good' | TARC continues to weigh options in the face of massive route cuts
- TARC route reductions will now start at the end of June because of agreement with JCPS
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