RICHMOND, Ind. – The City of Richmond is evaluating potential changes to its Rose View Transit System as officials work to improve service while staying within existing funding limits.

In partnership with RLS & Associates, the city is reviewing ridership levels, route performance and public feedback to determine what changes may be needed.

“We are providing technical expertise and community outreach activities to collect community feedback about the transit system and about some of the changes that are being proposed,” said Christy Campoll, RLS & Associates consultant.

The study has included public outreach efforts and collaboration with an advisory committee that includes representatives from the city, the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County, Reid Health and Earlham College.

“I have spent some time at the transfer facility, which is at the municipal parking garage downtown, talking to riders and doing surveying to collect input,” Campoll said.

RLS & Associates has also conducted an online survey, available through June 10, that has received about 200 responses. A public input meeting at Morrison-Reeves Library drew around 20 attendees, including transit drivers.

“We had a good turnout for that, about 20 people, including some of the drivers for the system that were able to come and hear about the potential changes and provide their input,” Campoll said.

The current transit system operates six fixed routes that converge at the transfer point in downtown Richmond at the Municipal Parking Garage. Service runs Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The system also provides paratransit service under the Americans with Disabilities Act, allowing eligible riders to schedule trips in advance.

Campoll said the city is not considering a shift away from fixed-route service but is evaluating a reduction from six routes to five to control costs while improving efficiency.

Public feedback has highlighted several areas where residents would like to see improvements.

“People would like to get out to the industrial parks for jobs. That’s probably the biggest piece of input that we received that the system can’t do today,” she said.

Working with the EDC, RLS & Associates surveyed approximately 50 employers in Richmond’s industrial parks. Campoll said several employers reported challenges with recruitment and employee retention because transportation options do not align with shift schedules.

Residents have also expressed interest in weekend service and more frequent bus arrivals. However, funding limitations make some requests difficult to implement. Campoll stated at this time, no new funding is going to come into the system.

“We’re going to be looking at one-hour frequencies on our bus routes, but hopefully 30-mintute frequencies on as many routes as we can,” she said.

Richmond provides annual funding for the transit system, which helps leverage federal and state transportation dollars. Additional funding comes through the Federal Transit Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation Fund. Passenger fares account for roughly 8% to 10% of operating expenses.

Under the draft recommendations, Campoll said the city expects to provide 30-minute service to Richmond’s east side, where several major retail destinations are located, including Walmart, Kroger and Save a Lot.

The study is also recommending a shift from Richmond’s current flag-stop system to designated bus stops with marked signs.

“That’s creating some concerns for timeliness as well as safety. Part of this project is to move to that designated bus stop model,” Campoll said.

In addition, the city is considering new branding for buses and bus stop signage, along with technology upgrades that would allow rides to access schedules and real-time bus locations throughout a smartphone app.

Campoll said those improvements could be particularly helpful for young riders and college students.

The proposed changes could also support broader efforts to improve connectivity throughout the city. Campoll said the revised route serving Earlham College would travel onto or around campus property, making transit more accessible for students.

The study comes as Richmond continues to invest in downtown housing and revitalization efforts, and a more reliable transit system could help reduce residents’ dependence on personal vehicles.

“People who live downtown may be able to live without a car or they may be able to, you know, keep a car, but if they have two or three adults in their households, just have one car because maybe the transit system can meet some of their daily needs at least Monday through Friday for transportation.”

Later this summer, RLS & Associates will present recommendations for what can be accomplished within the system’s current budget, as well as options that could be pursued with additional funding. Potential future enhancements include expanded service to industrial parks, more frequent routes and weekend operations.

“We’re going to present a draft final plan for what the system can do within its existing level of funding, and then the system would create those changes later this year or early next year.”