Trailblazer Joint Powers Board updated on Wright County service

Trailblazer Transit provided a minimum of 11,545 one-way rides in Wright County during the months of July through September, according to statistics presented to the Joint Powers Board Thursday morning.
Trailblazer Transit started providing service with the Wright County borders in June.
Executive Director Gary Ludwig said the number of rides reported are a minimum because some of the rides are “blended” in that they serve both McLeod and Wright counties. And Ludwig said it is difficult to pull specific populations of rides out of the dispatching software.
Trailblazer’s service in Wright County started with three scheduled buses in June, with a fourth added in August. Ludwig noted that the ride efficiency wasn’t the best because the buses were originating from the Trailblazer facility in Glencoe.
“There was a lot of dead-end time and miles,” said Ludwig.
In September, some of the buses were moved to a public works facility in Buffalo, which increased efficiency, Ludwig added.
“At the present time, there is less efficiency than we would like to see,” said Ludwig. “But remember, this is a brand-new system. It took us 15 years to build the program in McLeod and Sibley counties.”
Along with the ridership in Wright County, ridership in Sibley and McLeod counties also is increasing, and Trailblazer’s rides are up nearly 13,000 for the third quarter as compared to the 2013 statistics, Ludwig said.
Ludwig said Trailblazer is hoping to continue adding service in Wright County.
Jack Russek, a Delano City Council member, represented WCAT at Thursday’s meeting. WCAT (Wright County Area Transit) is a coalition of Wright County cities that is partnering with the Trailblazer Joint Powers Board to provide service in Wright County.
Russek said that he has heard an increasing demand for more transit service in Wright County.
“We keep telling people it takes time,” said Russek. For more, see the Nov. 5 print edition of The Chronicle.