Community leaders would like to see Kokomo's environment and overall appearance enhanced: "Industry has been hard on Kokomo – a Superfund site – it takes time to heal from that." The city's aesthetics are believed to hamper economic development as well as quality of life.
There are specific concerns with sewage systems, wastewater treatment, water quality, air quality, deteriorating city streets, and the US 31 corridor. Support was expressed for a US 31 bypass, walking/biking trails, and green space improvements.
Public transportation drew by far the most criticism and was rated the most inadequate of 26 community systems and services, with many community leaders calling for a fixed route bus system.
Kokomo-Howard County has opted instead for a subsidized taxi service, First City Rider. The program covers about one-third of the County, an area that extends beyond the Kokomo city limits. According to Larry Ives, Director of the Kokomo-Howard County Governmental Coordinating Council, it works like this: Residents of the service area ages 16 and over call to register for the program; there are no income or other needs-based criteria. Once registered, they may call Rhino's Taxi at any time, 24/7. (42% of trips take place between 6 pm and 6 am.) The first $3.00 of the fare is paid by the City, as are any extra costs for handicapped citizens, such as wheel chair accommodation. The minimum (and typical) cab fare is $7.50 for two miles and about $11.00 to ride from one corner of the service area to another, so riders usually pay $4.50 out of pocket, and no more than $8.00. Riders are told to expect a 15-minute wait, but it is sometimes longer. They are allotted 60 rides per month. About 9,000 citizens are registered, which is 14% of the County's population ages 16 and over.
Senior citizens and disabled persons are eligible for free transportation through another program, Spirit of Kokomo. It operates between 9:00 and 4:00, Monday through Saturday, within the Kokomo city limits. Reservations are required a day in advance. People who are eligible for Spirit of Kokomo may use First City Rider during off hours at a further reduced price of $2.25 to $4.00. Together, Spirit of Kokomo and First City Rider received Honorable Mention in the 2006 City Livability Awards of the United States Conference of Mayors.
In addition to these two programs, the community has a second taxicab company and a number of car rental agencies. Some agencies have vans for transporting their own clients.
Even so, there are unmet needs. There is no publicly subsidized transportation in outlying areas. There is no free transportation for seniors or the disabled after hours, or for anyone else at any time. There is no free or subsidized inter-city transportation, a critical obstacle to accessing certain health and mental health services. The 2005 American Community Survey estimated that 2,300 Howard County households owned no cars and 1,800 had no telephone service. They probably overlap, leaving some car-less families with no phone to call a cab. Lisa Price's survey of agency clients found that half had experienced car problems and/or lacked money for transportation in the prior six months. Further, it is pointed out, "This is an auto town – the city grew up on individual transportation! There are few sidewalks and limited bike trails and practically no public transportation." Someone else observed that Kokomo is laid out for cars, with housing, shopping, services, and other destinations widely dispersed.
We found vehemence around the community's transportation shortcomings:
"First City Rider and the senior buses are unreliable and often leave people waiting for long periods. First City Rider is also too expensive for many people. No one can keep a job if they need public transportation to get to it."
"It is sad that there is not a system of public transportation that would help citizens get to jobs and appointments. Is it any wonder that people aren't being responsible employees and keeping themselves healthy? They can't get the services they need or get to work places to begin earning a living."
On the other hand, 18% of community leaders rated public transportation as adequate or better, including one who said:
"Most people do not understand our public transportation system. It is unique and very user friendly and affordable in our community."
It should be noted that the needs assessment did not target likely users of First City Rider or Spirit of Kokomo. Comments came more from the perspective of professionals frustrated with the limitations their clients experience as a result lacking personal transportation.
Mr. Ives reports that a 2001 study led to an upgraded dispatching system and other improvements to First City Rider. Since then, usage has increased from about 40,000 trips per year to 80,000 in 2006 – more than the 2001 estimate of demand. A fixed-route bus system would cost taxpayers more than five times the $500,000 annual cost of First City Rider, requiring a two percent increase in the tax base. Even then, it would operate only Monday through Friday, from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, the walk to a bus stop would average six to ten blocks, and service would be confined to Kokomo's city limits.
As an alternative to a city bus system, it was suggested that First City Riders could be subsidized further, whether through increased public funding or privately issued vouchers. We encourage the community to reframe the problem from one of "public transportation," which tends to limit thinking to buses or trains, to something like "ready mobility" for persons who for various reasons can't drive themselves where they need to go.