New routes and hours for LATS could be in place by late summer

Longer hours of operation, new service areas and Sunday bus service could be rolling out for Lawton’s mass transit system as early as late summer.

The new routes are among the major changes cited in a mass transit master plan that City of Lawton and LATS officials are crafting. LATS General Manager Ryan Landers said the idea for the system’s first-ever master plan is setting firm strategies for making LATS more efficient and better able to provide what riders want.

“We want it to be a working document for the City of Lawton,” he said.

Hendrickson Transportation Group, which operates LATS, has been working on the plans for months and has already talked to stakeholder groups, as well as the general public through meetings and surveys. Three more sessions — two public meetings and a public hearing — are set this week, as Hendrickson puts the final touches on a plan that will achieve multiple goals. In addition to telling people exactly what LATS plans to do in coming years, the document can help win federal funding for expansion plans.

Like all public transportation systems, LATS already receives federal transportation funding to cover half of its annual operating expenses (last year’s actual figure was 58 percent) and up to 80 percent for capital improvements such as buses and the new transfer center/maintenance/operations facility planned near the city’s public safety complex. That facility is estimated at $11.25 million to $23.25 million. City officials have said 80-90 percent of construction costs could be covered by federal funding. If funds come this year as expected, the new facility could be operational by Spring 2027.

The more immediate plan centers on route changes designed to make the system more efficient while better serving riders — existing and future ones. Landers said his plan is to have those new routes operational by late summer or early fall. Changes on fixed routes (buses that serve the same stops Monday through Saturday) have been under way for more than a year.

Routes, hours to change

Some existing routes with little ridership will be dropped. There will be fewer routes through residential areas, a change calculated to keep most bus routes on arterials. That means safer routes that are more accessible to riders and won’t change in inclement weather (now, LATS drops service in residential areas on icy/snowy days, confining buses to arterials).

There also are plans to serve some areas for the first time, including South Sheridan Road, south of West Lee Boulevard. That will add Bishop School to a LATS route for the first time, but Landers said there also are nearby residents who will benefit.

Bus hours also are changing. Every route will run until 7 p.m., while three will run until 10 p.m. on weekdays and 9 p.m. on Saturdays. And, LATS will be adding Sunday routes for the first time, three routes that will operate 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. An east Lawton route will have morning and afternoon times when buses run every 30 minutes.

“We’ll be bringing service to those who need it the most,” Landers said.

Shuttle service for Fort Sill, west industrial park 

Landers said LATS also continues to explore new directed shuttle service for Fort Sill and the west industrial park.

“It’s more on the order of micro-service,” he said, of shuttles that would take riders to work sites in the industrial park and provide late night rides home for Fort Sill soldiers.

Designs also are under way for the second largest plan: the system’s first indoor transfer center.

The transfer center/maintenance/operations facility will be built on a five-acre tract immediately south of the public safety complex. Landers said construction is contingent on federal funding that will cover 80 to 90 percent of costs. Hendrickson plans to submit grant applications in April for federal funding that will be announced in the fall. Fall also is the estimated completion time for design plans.

“We’re hoping to start construction process by winter,” Landers said of the timetable that would allow LATS to seek contractor bids this winter so construction could begin by Spring 2025.

Hendrickson and City of Lawton officials also have been discussing plans to upgrade the mass transit fleet for more than a year, replacing buses well past their designed life expectancy.

While the fleet has been traditional fuel since LATS began operations, the system will transition toward alternate fuel sources. While that is good for the environment, it also is good for the pocketbook. Landers said federal grants that cover 80 percent of the bus cost are restricted to low- and zero-emission vehicles, while fewer manufacturers are making diesel/traditional fuel buses.

He said the goal is to have funding designated for buses by fall, so new buses can be ordered because those “made to order” vehicles have a delivery time of up to two years. The initial plan is seven hybrid buses (use both electric and traditional fuel) for fixed routes, and four for on-demand service: two full electric, two gas-powered.

Adding new bus stops

Because LATS is moving routes, Hendrickson also will look at new bus stops.

The system has 242 bus stop sites along fixed routes: 48 covered shelters and the remainder concrete pads or benches with no shelter. Landers said redesigning routes means the addition of at least 83 new bus stops and the cost will depend on what is installed. The simplest site (pole, signs and minor concrete work) is $1,000, while a covered shelter with seating is $10,000. Hendrickson’s recommendation would cost $208,000, to include five new covered shelters.