Joplin is relaunching the Sunshine Trolley System with new and improved features for its passengers.
The system paused in 2017 due to a lack of available drivers with commercial driver’s licenses.
The bus system will launch during the first week of February with three fixed bus routes throughout the city. It will run Monday through Friday from 6 am to 6 pm.
One of the goals of this relaunching is to develop a plan for the region's future growth. This is according to the plan presented at a public information session on Thursday, Jan. 8th at Joplin City Hall.
Joplin’s Transportation Coordinator, Gina Thompson, said this relaunching will benefit the community.
“We have a huge population of people that do not have access to transportation. Transportation changes lives,” Thompson said.
The new proposed bus system includes three fixed bus routes to ensure accurate and timely stops. The routes will travel throughout the majority of the city. Bus tokens and fares are fixed at $2.00 for speedy boarding times. The fares can be purchased at the Transportation office at 123 S Main St or the Finance Department at 602 Main St.
Passengers can purchase as many bus tokens as needed and will show the driver their token once on the trolley. Pictured above is what the average token looks like
Disabled passengers can apply for accommodations digitally through the transportation department’s site.
Passengers can now pre-book drop-offs at specific locations 24/7 due to a new transportation software called Trip Spark. This allows the new bus system to serve more citizens in the region.
The main concerns during the public information session included funding for the new system and clarification of new bus stops and fares. The reaction, overall, was very well received. The public and transportation departments agreed this will significantly improve the community.
“We just wanted the citizens to have a voice, and we wanted to be able to address any concerns they might have had,” Thompson said.
The reason for the system’s pausing in 2017 was that the transportation department couldn’t compete with the growing demand and pay for CDL drivers that big companies like Amazon were offering. This is according to the city’s Public Works Director, Dan Johnson. He said the department made significant strides in more competitive salaries.
He said he’s excited about the relaunch.
“We never have given up, and we're really happy to get it going again,” Johnson said.
The Joplin City Council will vote to pass the new bus system and fares at their next
meeting.
