Ideas

Make a 24 hour taxi service run by the city with the needs of the people in mind rather than the nemt services that occasionally provide rides. 2.5 hour wait times times are ridiculous and there are no rides available when many need to commute to work. uber and lyft are seldom available in the mornings and not plentiful at night except during special events which increases the "surge" rates

Areas with apartment complexes and lower income people tend to need transit more. These populations are more likely to use alternatives to cars, such as biking and mass transit. They need to be prioritized in transit planning to build a base of frequent transit users. This tends to benefit local business as well and contribute to social programs by allowing more physical and occupational mobility. Bus stops need to be directly in front of apartments, with benches for long waits and accessibility, shelters from sun/rain/snow/wind, and quality pavement that goes to the curb for accessibility and safety. Buses need to be more frequent and account for office and shift work: 1st, 2nd, 3rd shift and 9-5. In North Mankato, the last bus leaves cherry st at 4:30p - it is impossible for an office worker (9-5), 2nd or 3rd shift to use the bus. Likewise if they do use the bus for work, they can't use it for anything else, like groceries or other errands, because the North Manakto buses cease operation around 5p. It is impossible for anyone to rely on the bus for work, school, errands, appointments, any kind of full life. For a highly planned one-off trip where you have the full day available, they work. But very few people can do that. Mankato transit needs to survey local businesses with employees who would be likely to bus, apartment tenants and landlords, clinics and health centers, and schools and colleges for how bus schedules, stops, routes, and frequency can best serve their populations. Overall transit needs to be higher frequency, with more stops in more strategic locations, and connect major areas of population and movement, like apartments, clinics, malls, charter bus stations, and grocery stores.

The long wait times between service discourage many people from riding, especially when they need to transfer. A trip that could take 15 minutes instead takes over an hour.

During the Fall and Winter, Taylor and FUN.com employ thousands of seasonal workers. Many of these people do not have reliable transportation. They would benefit from Route 5 with expanded hours, especially in the evening and with weekend service from September through December.