2021 City trolley numbers down 200K compared to 2019

Jan. 19—Ridership among the city of Kokomo's CityLine Trolley has dropped considerably in the past two years.

The free public transit system recorded 146,427 passenger boardings in 2021, according to numbers provided earlier this month by Tammy Corn, executive director of the Kokomo Howard County Governmental Coordinating Council. That's down from the 196,576 passenger boardings tallied in 2020, and down more than 200,000 from 2019's passenger boardings of 356,352.

To clarify, the city counts each time a person boards a trolley as a passenger boarding, meaning its annual passenger boarding number is not how many unique riders there were, but rather how many times the trolley was used. A single person could account for more than one passenger boarding if they used the trolley multiple times.

City officials have largely blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for the decrease in boardings, despite the fact the city's trolley service and the Spirit of Kokomo — its paratransit service for those with disabilities and over the age of 60 — have run uninterrupted since the onset of the pandemic.

"We're always concerned if numbers aren't rising," Corn said. "We did know the levels would level out from when we started in 2010. ... In 2021, we were hoping we'd see an increase, but the pandemic didn't end ... so we're just kinda riding the wave hoping it goes back up."

The decrease in Kokomo's public transportation is not unique to the city.

Nationally, ridership among public transportation dropped by about 80% in 2020 from 2019 levels, according to a study conducted by EBP US Inc. for The American Transportation Agency. People largely avoided using the services because there was no need to, as workplaces and private business were shut down due to the pandemic for parts of 2020 and 2021. It was also a way to avoid crowded areas that lead to the spread of COVID.

The continuation of work from home and online schooling — Corn said college students at Indiana University Kokomo and Ivy Tech Kokomo make up a decent chunk of riders — has also hurt boarding numbers locally, Corn believes.

The city's public transportation services receive 50% of its operational funding from the federal government. The Federal Transit Administration calculates that funding by a formula that looks at passenger boardings, revenue miles and vehicle miles, among other things. The other 50% is paid by the city.

While a dip in passenger boardings could mean lower federal funding for the CityLine Trolley, Corn doesn't believe the federal government will lower its funding anytime soon due to the recent drop because it is such a nationwide problem.

In fact, the city's public transit is currently flush with money due to the recent federal stimulus packages that have passed Congress in the past two years since the onset of the pandemic. Corn said the transit system received $2.67 million from the CARES Act, and it expects to receive more from the recently passed infrastructure bill, though how much and what it can be used for is still unclear.

"We're solid in our operational money, in our vehicle money, so we feel pretty good about that," Corn said. "We're keeping that as a cushion in case anything happens."

Even with the unlikelihood of the trolley system receiving less federal funding, Corn said there are plans to survey local residents on why they're not using or returning to the public transit system and to possibly launch marketing campaigns to entice more riders.

While the CityLine Trolley has seen decreasing usage, the city's Spirit of Kokomo has seen an uptick compared to 2020 numbers.

According to numbers provided by Corn, Spirit of Kokomo recorded 82,057 passenger boardings. That's an increase from 2020's number of 71,786 but down from 2019 numbers, when 104,425 passenger boardings were recorded.

In other transit-related news, the city's Board of Public Works and Safety recently approved the purchase of two new trolleys for the CityLine Trolley system.

At its Dec. 29 meeting, the board approved the bid from Creative Bus Sales Inc. for $919,954 for the purchase of two 30-foot, low floor, ADA compliant trolleys. The FTA will pay 80% of the total cost, while the city will pay the remaining 20%. The trolleys are expected to be delivered this year.

Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.