PRESS RELEASE

As Norman city sales tax revenue declines, Cleveland Area Rapid Transit will be focusing on proposed changes to four bus routes and its disability service at an upcoming public meeting on Thursday.

The Norman public transportation system is encouraging community attendance, participation and feedback in the open forum at 6:30 p.m. at the Norman Municipal Complex, 201 W. Gray St. The decrease of more than $100,000 in annual CART funding for the 2010 – 2011 fiscal year will affect the Little Axe Link, West Norman Link, Cleveland County Express and Sooner Express routes as well as the secondary zone of CARTaccess, the origin-to-destination service for those with disabilities.

CART director Doug Myers said the transit system has worked tirelessly both internally and with the Norman City Council to ensure the altered service does not significantly affect riders, as statistics on all proposed reductions revealed minimal ridership.

“It is very important to CART in these difficult economic times to use available funding in the best manner possible to make transit in Norman more efficient,” Myers said. “I truly believe the proposed route changes announced at the meeting will accomplish that by saving the necessary dollars and still offering all routes and services so riders can continue to use CART to get to work, medical appointments, school and more.”

CART staff will discuss the elimination of two of the four current daily runs on the Little Axe Link route that provides access to the rural east Norman area as well as discontinuing stops in Lexington and Noble on the Cleveland County Express that now goes to Lexington, Noble and the Social Security Administration in Moore. The West Norman Link route that debuted in late 2009 will no longer operate until 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and will not run at all on Saturday. The new hours and days of service are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Sooner Express commuter route that goes from Norman to Oklahoma City seven times a day Monday through Friday will drop its 1:50 p.m. run.

Myers said no changes will be made to the CARTaccess primary zone and only slight adjustments in the secondary zone. The CARTaccess primary zone is considered by the Federal Transit Administration to be within 3/4-mile of any regular bus route and is mandatory for transit agencies across the country. The secondary zone is optional for public transportation systems to offer, but CART does so on a voluntary basis to everywhere within the Norman city limits Monday through Friday. CARTaccess will continue to provide secondary zone rides four days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

The Main Street route stops at the Norman Municipal Complex 10 minutes after the hour, so attendees may use the bus to access the meeting. Please notify CART at 325-2278 (TDD 325-5438) by 5 p.m. Wednesday for accommodations on the basis of disability. Written comments or questions about the proposed changes will also be accepted at the CART Operations Center at 510 E. Chesapeake Street, Norman 73019 or by e-mail at ridecart@ou.edu.