Lawton proceeding with plans for new bus service for Fort Sill soldiers

Officials with Lawton’s mass transit system are putting firm prices together for a new service aimed at Fort Sill soldiers who need rides after traditional bus hours.

City Council members, acting in their capacity as the City Transit Trust, this week directed LATS General Manager Ryan Landers and city staff to put together the financial package that will set the actual costs that Landers said are needed to launch the Night Owl Service. That includes the cost of 10 vehicles and related capital costs, and the wages of staff members to support the service.

Landers already outlined plans for the Night Owl Service, which will provide “micro transit” transportation to Fort Sill soldiers who need rides on and off post between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. The system will be similar to Uber or Lyft, where soldiers can summon rides via an app.

Landers said the idea is to provide soldiers with a high level of reliable transportation. He said the rough cost of the first year of that service would be $1.26 million.

That includes $381,000 for the wages of those who will operate a service intended to operate five vehicles on post and five in Lawton, making Night Owl “a very reliable service,” Landers said. Other projected costs include $612,880 in capital costs, which would include the purchase of smaller vehicles intended to transport a small number of soldiers at one time. The remaining costs are associated with training, maintenance and administration needs. Landers also said the $1.2 million is a first-year cost, when one-time capital purchases are necessary (future years are expected to be less expensive).

LATS intends to offer the service three nights a week — there is the potential to expand the service to 24/7 in the future — with a start-up planned for March or April. Landers said LATS will spend January and February obtaining vehicles, and hiring staff and training them. The hope is to have the service ready for implementation by March 1, he said.

To meet those deadlines, Landers said the transit trust must approve firm costs when they are provided, something city staff expects to do next week at the council’s last regular meeting of the year. Approval will allow LATS to order the capital equipment.

That also means identifying a funding source for expenditures, something the city hasn’t yet done. Acting City Attorney Tim Wilson said the council can proceed with the project, but must first identify “an appropriate funding source.” One potential source is the 2019 Capital Improvements Program, but Wilson said any funds spent on the new service must fall under one of the CIP’s defined categories. Community Services Director Charlotte Brown said city staff will recommend another funding source, but did not say what that would be.

Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Sartain has said the new service is important to Fort Sill, its soldiers and their families.

“This is a lifeline for them,” Sartain said, adding reliable transportation is one of the most commonly-asked questions from the family of soldiers.