By Moses Leos III

A Kyle citizen is speaking out against the city after the contract with the Capital Area Rural Transportation Service (CARTS) for demand-response service expired on Dec. 31.

Madonna Hayes, who relied on the service, questions the city’s motives behind ending the service. But according to the city, the number of riders wasn’t enough to justify the expenditure.

“I’m questioning why they can’t come up with money for transportation for people that are below the poverty level,” Hayes said. “I’m just frustrated by the whole thing.”

Hayes said she first caught wind that the service was ending after reading an article in the Hays Free Press. But Hayes said she didn’t receive notification that the service was ending until Dec. 21 via a handout given by her bus driver.

Since then Hayes said she has reached out to city council members and city staff to obtain answers. But she has since grown frustrated at what she claims was a lack of response by some city staffers and council members. 

The Kyle City Council chose to not renew the city’s contract for demand-response service during the fiscal year 2016 budget session.

Kyle Chief of Staff Jerry Hendrix said the city would have had to pay $75,000 this fiscal year to maintain the CARTS contract. He added the city sought solutions by conducting a request for proposal process.

In that process, the city conducted a study to measure how many people used CARTS in Kyle.

According to the city’s study, roughly 46 people used the service during the calendar year. Of those, only four people used the service on a weekly basis.

“What we learned is that there is not a broad based demand for demand-response,” Hendrix said.

Kyle Mayor Todd Webster said that, when broken down per person, CARTS “wasn’t a good use of our funds.”

“We recognize it’s a hardship, but I don’t know how to justify spending $100,000 on a transportation option for a small number of people,” Webster said. 

According to Hendrix, the city is now working with affected individuals to find transportation solutions.

He said that includes finding relatives who can provide transport, and entering into franchise agreements with companies such as Buda Taxi to provide service in the city. He said that, of those who needed the service, no one has called back to say they couldn’t find an alternative.

But for Hayes, the expense of possibly hailing a cab may be too much to handle.

“How can I afford something like that? I can’t,” Hayes said. “I don’t have that kind of money.”