CRESTVIEW — It’s been two years since the Board of County Commissioners ended Crestview’s bus routes, leaving only express route 14 service between City Hall and Fort Walton Beach.
But on Tuesday, residents can try to influence the return of bus service within the city during a choice of three 40-minute workshops.
City Clerk Betsy Roy is coordinating the workshops with county officials and representatives of Meruti Fleet and Management, operators of Okaloosa County’s Emerald Coast Rider bus service.
“The real purpose is to garner and understand the local opinion and local needs so we can revise our plan to better accommodate the local riders,” Meruti operations chief of staff Ayan Upadhyay said. “It’s very important to understand what are the community needs and adjust our system to meet them.”
One of the problems with the previous Crestview routes was many stops were located within a fifth of a mile or less apart, creating “a lot of stop-and-go,” Upadhyay said. “You can basically walk that.”
Meruti is also considering more efficient and useful connectors between Crestview and south Okaloosa County, such as a commuter express to Destin Commons through Niceville.
“Currently riders have to transfer several times to get to Destin” utilizing the bus to Fort Walton Beach, Upadhyay said.
Upadhyay said stops Meruti would like to see in a Crestview service include the county jail, major shopping centers, North Okaloosa Medical Center, and perhaps a park-and-ride in the vicinity of State Road 85 and P.J. Adams Parkway for commuters.
“We’re really hoping to get some input from the community,” Upadhyay said. “The routes that we’ve created are very malleable, so we can certainly move stops around.
“Our job is to try to bridge this gap between what the community wants and how it connects to the system as a whole.”
What: Transit Town Hall Workshop
When: 4-4:40 p.m., 4:45-5:25 p.m. or 5:30-6:10 p.m. May 24
Where: Crestview City Hall Council Chamber, 198 Wilson St. N.
Notes: Attendees can review proposed transit routes and stops and make suggestions for preferred services. Details: City Clerk Betsy Roy, 682-1560
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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview residents can provide transit input Tuesday