LATS planning new service for soldiers who need late night, early morning rides

LATS is working on a solution for Fort Sill soldiers who need transportation after hours. Way after hours.

Dubbed Night Owl Service, the new program will provide “micro transit” options for soldiers going to and from areas where LATS fixed route buses don’t operate, at a time — 2 a.m. for example — when no LATS bus operates.

LATS General Manager Ryan Landers said micro transit systems are similar to Uber or Lyft; in this case, operating in zones where soldiers are going, both on and off post. The system will rely on a Rides on Demand app that a soldier needing a ride can activate, then wait 10-15 minutes for a guaranteed ride to show.

Landers said LATS officials have successfully tested the app and also have begun preliminary analysis to determine what they expect the most common routes to be, both on Fort Sill and in areas of Lawton. He said several tasks must be completed before the program can be implemented.

In addition to completing the analysis and setting routes, LATS must decide what vehicles it will use to transport the soldiers. Landers said he anticipates using smaller vehicles such as vans, and such vehicles would have to be ordered. While LATS already offers an “on demand” ride option for those who need transportation to Fort Sill or to sites such as medical offices, those vehicles are larger that what the Night Owl Service would need. While the on demand vehicles could be used, those vehicles are older and the increased use would cause more wear-and-tear.

Night Owl would have specific hours of operation keyed toward the days soldiers are most likely to be at bars and other locations late at night: 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Landers said shutting down at 3 a.m. would give soldiers who stay at bars until the 2 a.m. closing time a way home. LATS would formally shut down the service at 4 a.m., giving LATS personnel time between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. to clean the vehicles and get them ready for the next day’s use.

The new program would need at least six dedicated personnel: four operators to drive the vehicles, one superintendent to oversee the crew, and one mechanic (although that person could be on-call, rather than working set hours, Landers said).

Landers said LATS officials want a few months to analyze the most common locations soldiers visit, so they can set up routes. LATS also has to project costs.

“This absolutely can be done in house,” he said, estimating LATS would be ready to launch the new service in March or April.

Mayor Stan Booker is pushing for a March start-up, saying Fort Sill needs the service now. Members of the City Transit Trust, which oversees LATS, approved creation of the new program, with a March activation date. Landers is to report back to trustees/City Council members in 30 days to outline what has been done and associated costs.

Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Sartain said the new service is important to Fort Sill, adding one of the most common concerns soldiers and their families have shared with him is the fact that taxis and on-demand rides are difficult to get “after certain hours.”

“This is a lifeline for them,” Sartain said, of the proposed service.