Bus Service Between Bismarck and Rapid City

Pam Ternes, Director, Standing Rock Public Transportation

Agreements between four transportation organizations in the Dakotas have resulted in the start of bi-weekly bus service between Bismarck, ND, and Rapid City, SD. Service began Monday, Feb. 26, on what is known as the "North-South Shuttle."

Buses run two days per week, Mondays and Thursdays. Passengers are able to ride from Bismarck to Rapid City or from Rapid City to Bismarck each day. The cost for a one-way ticket is $75.48.

The four bus companies participating in the new service are Bis-Man Transit, Bismarck, ND; Standing Rock Public Transportation, Fort Yates, ND; River Cities Public Transit, Pierre, SD; and Jefferson Lines, a charter bus service in Rapid City, SD.

"The goal is to provide cost effective transit service for rural people in the central Dakotas," said Pam Ternes, director of Standing Rock Public Transportation, who arranged the schedule and helped facilitate agreements between the companies.

Until recently, the only service between Bismarck and Rapid City required an arduous 31 hour trip that included swings into Montana and Wyoming. Travel time on the new route will be less than eight hours.

"The North Dakota DOT is thrilled that we were able to work cooperatively with the South Dakota DOT, Bis-Man Transit, River Cities Public Transit, and Standing Rock Transportation to help put the Bismarck to Pierre bus route in place," said Dave Leftwich, division engineer. "There are close ties between these two areas, and this new route will make bus travel between the two cities much simpler and easier for local travelers."

"Likewise, we are very excited to be a part of this project," said Bruce Lindholm, program manager for the South Dakota DOT Office of Local Transportation Programs. "For the first time ever, people living in the north central region of South Dakota will have access to Jefferson Lines intercity bus service and will be able to travel anywhere in the United States served by bus."

"The whole idea was to better coordinate existing transit programs in the region to provide a new service," said Ternes. "We think we will be able to deliver on that."

Abeson Retires from Easter Seals Project ACTION

Alan Abeson, director of Easter Seals Project ACTION, retired Oct. 23. His retirement also ended his service on the SURTC Advisory Board.

"Al brought a unique perspective to our Advisory Board. His knowledge of the transportation industry and his passion for improving access for the disabled are imprinted on SURTC's programs," notes SURTC director Jill Hough.

Abeson became director of Project ACTION in September 2002, capping a 40-year career of working first with the Council for Exceptional Children and later as executive director of The Arc of the United States. In just five years, Abeson expanded the reach of the project to greater numbers of people with disabilities, including young people and older adults, and to transportation providers such as the taxi industry. Some of the fruits of his leadership can be seen in training opportunities, research, product development, networking and program evaluation.

Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, Easter Seals Project ACTION promotes cooperation between the transportation industry and the disability community to increase mobility for people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Public Participation Encouraged Transportation Decision Making

Transportation infrastructure and personal mobility will be key issues discussed at a series of educational and public input workshops to be held across North Dakota in early 2008.

The sessions are designed to boost public interest and input into transportation and mobility issues faced by the state. Recognizing that the state would face important decisions related to the costs of maintaining its transportation infrastructure and demands for improved facilities and services, the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI) Advisory Council directed UGPTI staff to work with local, state, and federal entities to facilitate a public input process. SURTC is a program of the UGPTI.

Jon Mielke, SURTC associate research fellow, has been coordinating the effort. He noted that interim legislative committees assigned to explore highway funding and transportation infrastructure needs were informed of the UGPTI's plans and enthusiastically endorsed them. According to Mielke, "the key point of the entire effort is to generate public involvement."

UGPTI staff has convened a steering committee and developed a work plan which includes a series of eight local educational and input workshops to be held across the state during the first quarter of 2008. It is anticipated each workshop will include up to 100 participants, and that these individuals will represent local and county governments, local businesses, the Legislature, and individual citizens. Following these workshops, a state conference will be held to outline input that was generated and to present related recommendations.

"This process is not just about infrastructure, but also about personal mobility. That includes transit and other mobility related issues," Mielke says.

Resulting public input and recommendations will be presented directly to the Legislature's Interim Transportation Committee. "In addition to educating participants and gathering input on current issues, this project is designed to encourage future public involvement in decision-making processes regarding program design, project selection, and finance related to transportation infrastructure and transit," Mielke says.

Information about the local workshops will be available on the UGPTI website, www.ugpti.org, in early February.