A new bus route connecting Buckeye Lake and Hebron with Newark and other communities in Licking County will officially open at 5 a.m. on Monday, July 7.
The Buckeye Lake-Hebron route will increase mobility for the residents of southern Licking County, said Licking County Commissioner Duane Flowers. The service will be important for community members without access to vehicles and those who cannot drive, as well as people who prefer public transportation.
“Transportation is the key to success for all of our communities,” he said during one of two launch parties held at the Village of Hebron and the Village of Buckeye Lake on July 1.
Community leaders, including county commissioners and the mayors of both villages, were enthusiastic about the new transit line – the fifth bus route Licking County Transit has launched in the last two years.
Like the other four routes, which connect Newark, Heath and Granville, the new bus will be a “deviated fixed route,” meaning the buses can “deviate from the fixed route … up to three-quarters of a mile” to accommodate passengers’ needs, according to Matt Allison, executive director of Licking County Transit.
County Commissioner Tim Bubb told The Reporting Project that this makes all the difference to people who are “transportation-challenged.”
Read more: Free fares draw riders to Licking County Transit fixed-route buses in Newark and Granville
Hebron Mayor Valerie Mockus said the bus service will remove a hurdle for residents who have not had access to transportation.
“Hebron residents, we all work for a living,” she said. “It’s a working class town, but most jobs, you need a way to get there.”
The mayors of Hebron and Buckeye Lake agreed that public transportation has been much needed in their communities.
Both attended Licking County Area Transportation meetings and expressed their passionate interest in the new transit route.
Buckeye Lake Mayor Linda Goodman said she “really appreciate(s) the county commissioners and Licking County Transit for looking more closely at what the need is here.”
What separates this bus route from the previous four is that it is split into two lines – express and local.
“Buckeye Lake is so far from Newark, we can’t do the traditional one-hour loops and include all the local areas we want,” said Jessica Wiley, administrative coordinator at Licking County Transit.
The express line will run from Buckeye Lake to a transfer location at 1717 W. Main Street in Newark. The local line will run between Hebron and Buckeye Lake. Each will run depending on the time of day. It was designed that the express route will run when people may need to get to and from work in Newark.
Licking County Area Transportation Study Technical Study Director Matt Hill said community members now “have an option, and whenever you do that, you improve quality of life.”
Allison told The Reporting Project about plans to increase the frequency of buses running on all of the routes. The transit system has seen increased ridership, Allison said, and the demand for more public transportation options is on the rise.
Allison is also looking at a potential future route on Mount Vernon Road that would connect to Main Street in Newark. He also hopes for routes to Pataskala, Etna, Johnstown and New Albany.
“It was a part of our plan that said we were going to build this network out. This is just the next step forward to have access for the community,” Allison said.
Katie Nader writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.