Meeting the Public Transportation Needs in the REMPO Area

Thank you for your participation in the public transportation survey!  See the results below.  

Evaluate feasibility of a regional public transportation network, recommend next steps to construct a public transportation network.

Reduce traffic congestion by providing alternatives to car travel, introduce publicly funded transportation options.

Introduce a bus mode to increase the range of bicycle and pedestrian travel, evaluate park-and-ride options.

Enhance public transportation options for commuters, shoppers, and tourists.

Improve air quality through reduced vehicle emissions, provide accessible transportation options for more residents.

• Baptist Health Hardin Hospital
• BlueOval SK
• City of Brandenburg
• City of Elizabethtown
• City of Radcliff
• City of Vine Grove
• Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
• Elizabethtown/Hardin County Industrial Foundation
• Family Scholar House
• Fort Knox
• Hardin County
• Hardin County Chamber of Commerce
• Meade County
• Meade County Economic Development
• Nucor Steel
• Transit Authority of Central Kentucky (TACK)

Some key themes recurred across multiple stakeholder interviews, and the project team learned several lessons from stakeholders that will inform any potential service developments:

• Many commuters and students are open to carpooling or vanpooling, and some employers already have programs to facilitate carpools.
• Carpooling and vanpooling can originate at either private residences or at regional park-and-ride locations.

• Major destinations are decentralized across a wide area, making mileage-based fees prohibitive for many students, medical patients, and commuters.
• A lack of transportation options is significantly impacting residents’ abilities to seek or complete the kind of education and training that would help fill much-needed jobs in industrial and healthcare positions.
• These transportation barriers are also impacting potential tax revenues.
• Longer service hours are needed for students, medical patients, and employees working second and third shifts.

• With new industries and large employers moving into the region, the time is right to invest in public transportation.
• TACK is willing to partner with REMPO and stakeholders to take the next steps for expanding and enhancing public transportation services to Hardin and Meade Counties.
• Local government officials are open to providing assistance with signage, benches, talking with business owners, coordinating with KYTC about park-and-ride facilities, and potentially addressing funding needs.

The Radcliff/Elizabethtown Metropolitan Planning Organization conducted a public survey to collect supporting information for the Public Transportation Study that would help determine what the public transportation need was for Hardin and Meade Counties. The survey was open from March 1, 2024 to April 5, 2024 and was advertised on social media and through local channels and received over 1,400 responses. The following is a summary of the results.  

Do you currently own or have access to a personal vehicle? 

• Yes: 82.40%  
• No: 17.60%  

How many days per week do you currently travel? 

• 0-1: 4.42% 
• 2-3: 11.03% 
• 4-5: 27.53% 
• 6-7: 57.02% 

What time do you usually arrive at work/school? 

• 7 AM – 8 AM: 42.46% 
• 8 AM – 9 AM: 20.18% 
• 9 AM – 10 AM: 8.73% 
• Other: 28.63% 

What time do you usually leave work/school? 

• 3 PM – 4 PM: 22.32% 
• 4 PM – 5 PM: 27.75% 
• 5 PM – 6 PM: 22.39% 
• Other: 27.54% 

How do you usually get around? (Check all that apply.) 

• Walking: 14.73%  
• Bicycling: 3.16% 
• Personal Vehicle: 54.95% 
• Carpool/Ride with Friend or Relative: 16.55%  
• Demand/Response Service (TACK): 3.63% 
• Vanpool: 1.24% 
• Taxi, Uber, Lyft, etc.: 5.64% 
• Every Commuter Counts Service (MBTA): 0.10% 

Do you use any of the following public transportation services? 

• Demand/Response Service (TACK): 9.77% 
• Taxi, Uber, Lyft, etc.: 20.60% 
• Every Commuter Counts Service (MBTA): 0.13% 
• Vanpool: 2.47% 
• I do not use any public transportation services: 67.02% 

How many days per week do you currently use public transportation? 

• 0-1: 87.66% 
• 2-3: 4.75% 
• 4-5: 3.69% 
• 6-7: 3.90%

What do you consider the top benefits of using public transportation services? (Check all that apply.) 

• Reliable alternative if other transportation is unavailable: 37.17% 
• Wheelchair accessible / paratransit needs: 13.60% 
• Spending time working/resting/ reading/socializing rather than driving: 11.16% 
• Cheaper than owning a car or paying for ride-hailing service: 19.26% 
• Reduces vehicle emissions and improves air quality: 18.82% 

What type of trips would you consider making if public transportation were more readily available? (Check all that apply.) 

• Commuting to work: 22.70% 
• Commuting to school: 7.72% 
• Medical Appointments: 22.31% 
• Recreational / Social Trips Shopping or personal errands: 26.76% 
• Workday business meetings or professional gathering: 10.60% 
• I would not consider using public transportation services: 9.91% 

Are there specific destinations or areas that you would travel to if they were accessible by public transportation? 

Which of the following are personal obstacles for you to use public transportation services, including demand-response services? (Check all that apply.) 

• Not aware of public transportation services offered in the area: 29.53% 
• Do not understand how to use public transportation services: 5.89% 
• Too expensive: 9.06% 
• Need for a car during the workday for work or personal errands: 13.77% 
• Lack of sidewalks or safe streets: 15.50% 
• Service takes too long: 10.16% 
• Service isn’t available at the times of day when I need it: 16.09% 

Which of the following are obstacles for you to use shared mobility (Taxi, Uber, Lyft, etc.)? (Check all that apply.) 

• Not offered in my location: 15.75% 
• Too expensive: 24.44% 
• Service takes too long: 9.59% 
• Not reliable for regular trips: 15.57% 
• Does not accommodate wheelchairs or young travelers using car seats: 7.64% 
• Uncomfortable with unknown/untrained drivers: 18.75% 
• Unfamiliar with the program: 8.26% 

In what county do you live?

I identify as: (Check all that apply)

My age is:

What is your household income?

Which of the following best describes your employment status? (Check all that apply.)

What other languages are spoken within your household? 

Drawing on lessons learned from previous studies, stakeholder interviews, demand analysis, a peer review, and transportation best practices, there are several strategies that REMPO, TACK, and other local partners could take to improve public transportation in the Radcliff/Elizabethtown area. This approach has been broken down into three main phases, to take advantage of existing equipment and to allow for funding support to be built over time.

TACK can offset the annual operating costs of new fixed-route bus service by using previously untapped federal grants. These grants supply 80% of the necessary funds for capital expenses (new vehicles, bus stops, etc.) and operating expenses (driver wages, vehicle maintenance, fuel, etc.). This leaves only 20% of the total costs to be supplied from local sources or other federal programs like Medicaid.

• Federal Grant for New Vehicles (5339(a) Program)
• Federal Grant for Operating Funds (5307 Program)
• Funds from Local Governments
• Funds from Medicade Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT)
• Revenue from Advertisements
• Service Agreement with Major Employer

Successful implementation of fixed-route public transportation and enhancement of existing public transportation in Meade and Hardin Counties will require action from many stakeholders and supporters.

• Establish a vanpool coordinator 
• Apply for and earmark FY26 funds for operating and capital costs

• Perform public engagement 
• Purchase six to nine cutaway buses
• Finalize details of new service

• Install bus stop signs and shelters 
• Advertise upcoming bus service
• Implement new service

Any new public transportation service that REMPO or TACK undertakes is subject to public engagement and equity requirements laid out in REMPO’s Public Participation Plan and the Lincoln Trail Area Development District’s (LTADD) Title VI Implementation Plan: 

• Equity analysis of all residents within the boundaries of public transportation projects 
• Strategies to address any adverse impacts on underrepresented or historically disenfranchised communities
• Program of Projects published on websites and social media with a 15-day comment period
• Optional public meetings about new or changing service