April 2003
The Newsletter of the Wyoming Public Transit Association
2003 Wyoming Public Transit Association Award Nominations
Transit System of the Year Nominee Social Service Agendy of the Year Nominee
Nominee: Cheyenne Transit Program
Nomination by: Joe Dougherty, Manager		 Nominee: Sheridan Senior Citizens’ Council
Nomination by: Linda Gostas, Assistant Director
     The Cheyenne Transit Program (CTP) has implemented changes to make its fixed bus route system more effective and easier to use. In April 2002, the city-operated bus service changed from five routes to six and from 45-minute routes to one hour routes. This offered passengers a system that is easier to understand and serves more destinations than ever before. CTP provides almost 150,000 rides annually. While the new system has shown modest increases in overall ridership, the real key is that the passengers who use the system are doing it more efficiently with fewer transfers.
     While still providing an increasing volume of dial a ride service, the CTP route system has changed its central transfer station from Holliday Park to a more highly utilized location adjacent to the Historic Depot and Plaza in downtown Cheyenne. Nearly 100 bus benches, all conveniently located on the routes throughout the city, have been marked with bus arrival time placards to help CTP passengers board more conveniently. Passengers are also allowed to board the system by flagging the bus from the loading side of the bus anywhere on route. New expanded hours provide over 12 ½ hours of route service each weekday. Similar hours of operation are available Monday through Saturday for curb-to-curb.
    With the changes now in place the route busses serve within a quarter mile of:
  • 92% of all Cheyenne businesses
  • 88% of all schools
  • 74% of all places of general employment
  • 62% of all places of industrial employment

     The city bus can get you there!

     Sheridan is well known as an ideal community for retirement. Today, 21 percent of the community’s population is over 60 years of age, which is higher than the national average. The people of this fine Western community have been respecting their elders since the area was settled in 1882.
     The Senior Citizens Council, a local non-profit organization, provides a wide variety of services to those over 60 years old. The Senior Center provides on-site meals, home-delivered meals, activities, life-long learning, adult daycare, family caregiver support, in-home services, volunteer opportunities, transpor-tation, and many other services for the Sheridan County area. Several programs, such as transpor-tation, are available to people of all ages and benefit the entire community. Hundreds of people are able to live more independently with a greater quality of life because of services they receive from the Sheridan Senior Center.
     The first mini-bus was purchased in 1973! It is now 2003 and the Sheridan Senior Center is
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Editor’s note:
     This issue of the Transit Express includes edited nominations for the 2003 WYTRANS awards. Nominee information is in alphabetical order by the agency represented.
     Directors of the transit agencies who are WYTRANS members will receive a ballot along with this newsletter. A representative from each agency may vote and return the ballot to WYTRANS no later than 5 p.m. Friday, May 16, 2003. Questions should be directed to Debbie Ehlers or Steve Kurtz at WYTRANS, 307-266-2524.
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Wyoming Transit Express 1 April 2003