Almost one month after the Jefferson City Council declined to increase fares on the city's transit system, supporters are working on the next step in trying to expand service - gain new riders.
But supporters and the transit division director say there is one large impediment to getting more people on the bus: the image of transit as a service only for those who are low-income and without access to a vehicle.
Transit Division Director Mark Mehmert said the transit division has to get better at promoting itself as an alternative means of transportation for people and focus on the economic benefits the system provides.
"We have an image problem that we have to overcome," Mehmert said. "In order to make transit more widely appealing, we've got our work cut out for us."
Mehmert said the issue is trying to get people to think outside of their own vehicles and trying to get people to think more about transit options.
"One of our challenges is that we are car-centric," Mehmert said. "When you're car-centric, how does the transit system fit in?"
Mehmert said he is trying to think of new ways to introduce people to the transit system, focusing on those who have never ridden JeffTran and don't really think about the service. He said the city has a good system in place that helps connect to all areas, but many are unaware of the economic benefits the service provides.
"It is really critical for jobs that people have a transit system," Mehmert said. "We really enable a lot of jobs in Jefferson City that otherwise wouldn't have a way to operate because the pay scale is such that owning a car really isn't much of an option."
He also pointed to transit's role in connecting shoppers with businesses and patients with health care options.
"It's really amazing frankly the amount of economic activity that's supported by the transit system," he said.
Several members of the Citizens for JeffTran group also said transit needs to be thought of more in terms of how it connects to other issues in the community. Vicki Schildmeyer said transit can serve as a solution to many other problems and allow people to improve their lives by giving them access to a job or a grocery store.
"It's a common factor and the solution for so many things," Schildmeyer said. "This is part of the answer to so many of the other things that we want to address as a community."
Paul Van Horn said transit touches everyone who has been unable to drive, or knows someone who is unable to drive.
"Can you imagine what you would be if you didn't have your driver's license?" Van Horn asked.
Schildmeyer said the key is to raise awareness within the community of the benefits of using and supporting transit to help the city overall.