Dear Friend:
This year CATA celebrates 30 years of service to the Greater Lansing area. Meeting
the needs of our community is a growing job for us. In the past few years, demand
for CATA service has doubled. And that demand continues to grow. Since 1972,
Ingham County’s population has grown by 9%, while CATA ridership has increased
by an amazing 980%.
People from all walks of life use our services. Some take CATA to work every
day. Others take the bus to the doctor, or to buy groceries. For many, including
people with disabilities and seniors, CATA transportation, and especially Spec-Tran,
our curb-to-curb service, is a vital link to living a full and independent life.
At the same time we have been serving more people, the cost of providing public
transportation has substantially increased. Last year, for example, CATA purchased
a million gallons of diesel fuel and more than 52,000 gallons of gas to operate
more than 100 CATA vehicles. You can imagine how even a slight increase in fuel
prices can give us budget woes.
CATA has stepped up to these challenges. We have increased fares, reduced service
levels, and cut other expenses in order to run more efficiently. However, essential
operating expenditures such as fuel, insurance, and employee health care continue
to rise at the same time we are trying to meet the ever-increasing demand for
CATA services.
In April, the CATA Board took action to place a request on the August 6 ballot
for an additional .82 mil (82¢ per thousand dollars of taxable valuation)
to fund public transportation. If approved in the election on August 6, 2002,
the increase will allow CATA to continue to meet the growing transportation
needs of our community. However, if the millage does not pass, CATA will be
required to reduce service across the board.
In this Community Report, we take a closer look at the services CATA provides,
and at the people we serve. We hope you will find this information useful. When
some people think of CATA, they think of our buses, but CATA is really about
the people who benefit from our many services, living fuller, more independent
lives.
Their stories are real. Please read on and you will see what we mean!
Sincerely,
Jean Golden
Chair, CATA Board of Directors
Sandy Draggoo
Executive Director
CAPITAL AREA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (CATA) MILLAGE PROPOSITION:
Shall the public authority, the Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA),
for continued service, as provided for by Public Act 55 of 1963, as amended,
levy an additional tax in an amount not to exceed .82 mil (that being $0.82
per thousand dollars of taxable valuation) on real and personal property located
within CATA’s service area, for five years, 2003–2007, inclusive?
YES
NO
This year, thousands and thousands of area residents will depend on the Capital Area Transportation Authority to get them to jobs, school, medical appointments, shopping, to worship … wherever life takes them. Altogether, they will ride more than 22 million miles on CATA. Some choose to ride—leaving their cars at home—enjoying the freedom from driving and parking hassles. Some ride for the cost savings—a valuable benefit of public transportation. Some ride out of concern for the environment. For others in our community, CATA means mobility, freedom, and access to opportunities. CATA provides many citizens with the means to live independently, to make choices, to share in the life of our community.
A not-for-profit service provider, CATA helps build vital, livable neighborhoods. CATA helps feed the economy by moving our workforce and consumers. CATA also helps mid-Michigan’s environment remain cleaner, and makes it possible for our residents to avoid crowded roadways.
CATA service is much more than a bus ride.
Take a look at the many ways CATA helps residents go where they have to go.
You will discover that CATA is meeting the needs of people in ways you may not
have imagined, which explains the dramatic growth in ridership.
CATA’s growth is really a growth in opportunity for thousands of area
residents. All over Lansing and East Lansing, as well as Delhi, Meridian, and
Lansing townships, schoolchildren, seniors and people with disabilities step
onto a CATA bus and step off into a wider world.
At its beginning in 1972, CATA operated 14 bus routes. Today, there are 35 bus
routes, and CATA makes thousands of curb-to-curb, advance-reservation trips;
criss-crossing a 500-square-mile service area.
“I have fun, I get out, go to theaters, shows, out to dinner, Tri County Lunch Bunch—go to Trippers once a month. Go to Bill Knapp’s for birthdays. I can always find a bus to go to whichever end of town I wish to go to. It’s scary to do things like go across train tracks in my wheelchair, so CATA is a safer way to get there.
“I have a lot of adventures. I’m eighty-eight years old—I need to get out there, where there are young people. I go everywhere. You can do that with bus drivers who know how to help you, can take care of you. I’d be stuck without CATA. You’ve got to have a zest for living, a will to live, and I don’t think I would have it if I couldn’t get around.”
Millie Lauzun
Ingham County Care Facility Resident
OKEMOS“I’ve used Spec-Tran for over ten years. As a totally blind female, I don’t feel safe walking early in the morning, or at dark, or in areas without sidewalks. I have a friend in another Michigan city who is blind and she can only use that system certain times of the year for certain things. I use Spec-Tran for everything—work, doctors, grocery shopping, entertainment. The other night I went to a concert at the Creole Gallery with friends. And then there’s that human touch. Drivers are willing to go the extra mile.”
Deb Wiese
Rights Specialist
Dept. of Career Development, Rehabilitation Services
East Lansing Resident
With 35 fixed routes, odds are CATA serves a bus stop within easy walking distance of your home. Fixed-route service is the one most people are familiar with—big buses traveling regular routes at scheduled times. CATA fixed-route buses provide an average of 27,000 rides every weekday, and more than 14,000 rides on weekends. Route schedule brochures are available on all buses and at various locations throughout the Greater Lansing area. You can go online at www.cata.org to print out your own maps and schedules or call CATA’s Customer Information Center at 394-1000 for personal assistance. The standard bus fare is $1. Students, seniors and persons with disabilities pay a reduced fare of 50¢. Unlimited ride discount passes are available at www.cata.org and at area pass vendors.
All CATA fixed-route buses are equipped with easy-to-use bike racks that hold two bikes. Bike rack use is free. In addition, CATA now offers a bike locker rental program. Lockers are located at the CATA Transportation Center in downtown Lansing, the East Lansing Division Street parking ramp, and Lansing Community College on Shiawassee Street. Call 394-1000 for information.
The Link and Link II are two CATA weekday park-and-ride services transporting commuters between major employee parking lots and their workplaces in the downtown Lansing area. The fare is 25¢ per trip. Call 394-1000 for more information.
During weekday morning and afternoon rush hours, CATA offers commuter services between the far south and east regions of the service area and downtown Lansing.
The Mason Limited and the Williamston/Webberville Limited serve a few bus stops, then travel directly to downtown Lansing to create a faster commute. The standard fare is $1. Students, seniors and persons with disabilities pay a reduced fare of 50¢. Call 394-1000 for more information.
“We use CATA Rural Services to get the kids to school, and in summer to school sporting events, basketball camp, that kind of thing. We’ve been using it for two and a half years now. Without it, it would be pure heck. It would not be good. Realistically there wouldn’t be a way to get them to school and get to work.
“We have been recommending Rural Services to friends in similar situations, based on convenience and cost. CATA should be proud of the service because it’s really been beneficial.”
The Mohr Family
Delhi Township Residents
“I have used CATA to commute to my office for six years. It’s wonderful getting a whole month of commuting for the price of a single fill-up of gasoline. It’s great not having to drive when the roads are bad, and I get a lot of reading done. I also enjoy conversations. Some parents who pick up their children on CATA use the time to read to them.”
Helen Mickens
Professor, Cooley Law SCHOOL
Lansing Resident“I’ve been in a wheelchair for five years, and at first I was so upset I didn’t go anywhere. Then I found out about Spec-Tran. I’ve used Spec-Tran for three years—for the movies, or to the mall, or to my girlfriend’s, or wherever.
“I can go out and have a good time, and the drivers are really great. You can trust them. I’m just amazed at how kind they are. A lot of my friends are handicapped. They’re tired of sitting around the house.
I tell them about Spec-Tran.”John Shumway
LCC STUDENT, PRIMARY EDUCATION
Holt Resident
Spec-Tran is CATA’s advance-reservation service for persons with disabilities.
Curb-to-curb transportation is available in Lansing and East Lansing and in
Delhi, Lansing, and Meridian townships. CATA uses small buses equipped
with wheelchair lifts, as well as low-floor vans. Spec-Tran service operates
7 days a week. Riders are certified in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) and the fare is $2. Call 394-6230 for more information.
An advance-reservation, curb-to-curb service for residents in the outlying
areas of Ingham County, CATA Rural Service can be used for any trip purpose.
Rides are provided Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fares range
from 85¢ to $2.60 per trip, based on the length of the trip.
Call 394-4178 or (800) 322-1390 for fare and ride information.
A curb-to-curb service dedicated to Mason, Williamston, and Meridian Township area residents, Redi-Ride is usually available within 30 minutes of the time someone calls. In Meridian Township, please call at least 4 hours in advance. Redi-Ride is provided Monday through Saturday. The standard fare is $1. Students, seniors and persons with disabilities pay a reduced fare of 50¢. Call 394-4178 or (800) 322-1390 for more information.
To provide connections between outlying communities and Lansing, CATA’s
Connector Service offers regularly scheduled small-bus service (no reservation
necessary) Monday through Saturday. The Mason Connector operates between the
Mason Meijer and the South Pennsylvania Meijer via Cedar Street. The Williamston/Webberville
Connector operates between the Williamston Felpausch store and the Meridian
Mall, traveling through Webberville
via Grand River Avenue. Fares range from 85¢
to $2.60 per ride, based on the length of the trip. Call 394-4178 or (800) 322-1390
for more information.
“CATA not only enhances our business by broadening our customer base, but also enhances the everyday lives of our Meijer team members who depend on public transportation.”
Chris Wilson
store director, W. Lake Lansing Rd. Meijer
East Lansing Resident
“I do know this. I don’t know a nicer bunch of people than CATA drivers. I use a wheelchair and have to go to dialysis three times a week. If it weren’t for them, I don’t know what I’d do, I really don’t.”
Delores Cannedy
Lansing Resident“I’m ninety years old, and too old to drive. I don’t drive and haven’t for years. Never was very good at it, didn’t do it much. I don’t know what some people do without Spec-Tran. I use it to get to the grocery store, doctor’s office, sometimes to church. I have no family around here to take me places, and Spec-Tran helps me live independently. How else would I get around?”
Leone Barnes
Retiree
Lansing Resident
Delta Late Night Service begins when Eaton County’s EATRAN service ends for the day. Designed to help residents travel between Delta Township and Greater Lansing, Delta Late Night makes it possible for people who work late to have a way home when the day is done. With a reservation 24 hours in advance, Delta Late Night curb-to-curb service takes riders to Lansing and Delta Township locations.
Service hours are Monday through Friday, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Saturday, 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. The fare is $1.75. Students, seniors and persons with disabilities ride for 85¢. Call 367-7263 for more information.
CATA provides regularly scheduled transportation to and from grocery stores for residents of several area senior housing complexes. The fare is $1.50 round trip. Call 394-6230 for more information.
CATA provides 9 routes of on-campus service and 7 routes traveling on and off
campus. Service is provided 24 hours a day/7 days a week, Fall and Spring semesters.
In addition, CATA gives students and employees a lift from campus to the surrounding
community–to shop, work, and to have fun. The standard fare is $1. Students,
seniors and persons with disabilities pay a reduced
fare of 50¢.
CATA RideShare helps commuters find a ride in a carpool, vanpool or through public transportation. CATA matches people traveling to or within the Lansing area with similar travel needs. This service is offered free of charge. Call 393-RIDE (7433) for more information.
“I use Redi-Ride for transportation to and from work.
I’m without a car right now. The drivers are always friendly. They’re here right when they’re supposed to be, and drop me
off when I’m supposed to be there. They work with your schedule. Without Redi-Ride things would be pretty difficult,
and we’d have to make other arrangements for the kids.”Chris Holbrook
Building Maintenance, DONE-RIGHT AUTOMOTIVE
MASON Resident
“I’ve been using CATA’s Delta Late Night service the last two years and Spec-Tran service for fifteen years for social outings, classes at LCC, and the volunteer job I’ve had for twelve years. The drivers are punctual and are always polite and friendly. They know what they’re doing about tying down my wheelchair. It doesn’t take too long. We’re blessed to have these services, compared to other areas where they don’t have much transportation.”
John Abraham
Volunteer Activities Coordinator, TenderCare West
Lansing Resident
“When I want to go shopping or to the mall, or just to get back and forth to the office, I take CATA Spec-Tran. It’s reliable. And with Spec-Tran, I don’t have to rely on other people in my life to get me around. It gets me out of the house and to where I want to go independently. I think it’s a very good investment of taxpayer dollars. In fact, I’m one of those taxpayers. This service gets me to work in a reliable fashion and allows me to do my job.”
Al Swain
Associate Director
Capital Area Center for independent Living
HASLETT Resident
The Capital Area Transportation Authority is a not-for-profit provider and planner of transportation services to the people of mid-Michigan. Fares only pay a portion of service costs.
Capital Area Transportation Authority
FY 2001 Operating Revenue Sources43% State
36% Local Funding
12% Farebox
05% Other
04% Federal
The 2001 Expenses chart at right shows the breakdown of how CATA’s budget is allocated to meet the service needs of area residents.
Capital Area Transportation Authority
FY 2001 Operating Expenses84% Operations & Maintenance
16% Administration
In April 2002, the CATA Board took action to place a request on the ballot
for an additional .82 mil (82¢ per thousand dollars of taxable valuation)
to fund public transportation.
If approved in the August 6, 2002 election,
the increase will allow CATA to continue to meet the growing transportation
needs of the community. If the millage is not approved, CATA will be required
to reduce service.
“On March 19, 2001, during I-496 construction, I did something
I haven’t done since I was a child—I rode the bus. I was amazed.
My three-block walk to the CATA stop was a breeze. The bus was
on time. The bus driver was polite and courteous. The passengers were pleasant and helpful. When I departed the bus, I was half a block away from my place of employment. Why would I drive to work?
I have a bus.”Pegg Ainslie
Downtown Employee
Lansing RESIDENT
Web Site Information
Online customers can visit www.cata.org for printable route and service information, online bus pass purchasing, fare information, and up-to-date news about CATA services.
Sandy Draggoo
Executive Director
Debra Alexander
Assistant Executive Director
Craig Allen
Director of Maintenance
Bradley Funkhouser
Director of Development
Patricia Gilbert
Director of Marketing
Marty Mecher
Director of Finance
Dwight D. Smith
Director of Operations
Jean Golden, Board Chair
Ralph Monsma
Sam Singh
Walter Dell, Secretary-Treasurer
Esther Bell
Joan Jackson Johnson
Pete Kuhnmuench
R. John Strolle, Vice-Chair
John Johnston
Pat Cannon
Pat Munshaw
Mark Grebner
Kathy Lindahl
CATA’s local advisory committee provides input on issues important to persons with disabilities.
Alyson Burwell
Senior Citizen Service RepresentativeDonna Hobart
Tri-County Office on AgingMike Hudson
MSU Resource Center for Persons with DisabilitiesDonna Palmer
Citizen RepresentativeDorothy Payne
Citizen RepresentativeJane Spitzley
Citizen RepresentativeAlphonse Swain
Capital Area Center for Independent LivingMitch Tomlinson
Peckham Vocational Industries Inc.Deb Wiese
Michigan Rehabilitation ServicesChris Wisniewski
Citizen Representative
John L. Wingo
President
Michael L. Cullimore
Vice-President
Kathleen M. Kelley
Recording & Financial Secretary
Thomas A. Hendricks
Steve Soliz
Juan R. Velasquez
Phillip D. Bean
Raymond L. Doty Jr.
Brian Gould
Route & Schedule Information 394-1000
Walk-Up Assistance Available at:
CATA Transportation Center
420 S. Grand Avenue, Lansing
Mon.–Fri., 7 a.m.–7 p.m., Sat.–Sun., 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Michigan Relay Center Voice TDD 800-649-3777
Administrative Offices
4615 Tranter Avenue, Lansing 394-1100
Delta Late Night Service 367-7263
RideShare Van & Carpool 393-7433
Rural Service, Connector Service & Redi-Ride 394-4178 or call
800-322-1390
Spec-Tran and Senior Shopping Bus 394-6230
Spec-Tran Cancellations 367-7272
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
More detailed information is available on CATA’s Web site. If you don’t have access to the Internet, we’ll be glad to mail you the information. Fill out the information below and mail it to CATA, or just call 394-1000 and a Customer Service representative will assist you.
Place a check beside or circle the service you would like information on:
Welcome Aboard
How to ride the bus, fares and passes, service descriptions, CATA contact
information, and more.
Spec-Tran
Rural Service, Redi-Ride, Connector Service
Mason Limited
Williamston/Webberville Limited
Delta Late Night Service
RideShare Van and Carpooling
Please print or type the following:
NAME
ADDRESS
DAYTIME PHONE
MAIL TO:
Capital Area Transportation Authority
Attn: Info Please
4615 Tranter Avenue
Lansing, MI 48910