New master plan will set improvements for Lawton’s transit system

City of Lawton officials are ready to set a new transit master plan into place.

Approval today by the City Council would set projects into place to benefit LATS, from the new indoor transfer center complex already under design to new routes intended to better serve the public.

Hendrickson Transportation Group, which operates LATS for the City of Lawton, has been working on the new master plan since 2021, efforts that have analyzed what the Lawton system already is doing and what changes can be made to improve the quality of service and expand the customer base. The process involved specific user groups, as well as public hearings for the general public and surveys of those who ride LATS buses. Planning Director Christine James said the resulting master plan represents the first major change in service since July 2017.

Now, LATS has six fixed routes that operate in 60-minute increments, passing through the downtown transfer center at Southwest 4th Street and B Avenue once an hour. It also has direct service options, such as a Fort Sill shuttle and paratransit buses that provide curb-to-curb rides for those needing such service.

But officials already have begun exploring new options, even as the new master plan was being crafted. For example, officials are looking at plans to provide direct shuttle routes for Fort Sill soldiers needing rides in the late evening/early morning hours, as well as employers in the west industrial park.

The biggest change is one already outlined by General Manager Ryan Landers: changing routes. Those include some routes that would operate until 10 p.m., and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays (both options frequently requested by riders), as well as a shorter route time in east Lawton. Other changes include adjustments that would add new stops while eliminating others, and a plan to keep most routes on arterials to lessen disruptions in service during inclement weather when residential routes are eliminated.

The plan also outlines conversion of the bus fleet to low-emission vehicles, replacing aging vehicles with hybrid electric/traditional fuel buses, and the addition of bus stops (some simple concrete pads, some full stops with seating and covering).

A survey of LATS riders indicates the changes are what they want, LATS officials have said. In those surveys, 29 percent of riders want more route services, while 23 percent want more bus shelters for fixed routes.