In advance of their Feb. 24 public hearing on proposed cuts to Seward County Public Transit services, Seward County commissioners reviewed ridership data compiled for 2025.
Commission Chair Misty Ahmic said the data she received from the Public Transit office showed that 367 individuals used the transit services one or more times last year. A total of 6,750 rides or trips were completed.
Ahmic said she was surprised 4,052 rides began and ended in Seward, which comprised 61.9% of the total number.
The data also showed that 1,667 rides – 25.6% – were within the county with either origination points or delivery points outside of Seward, 817 rides – 12.4% – were to Lincoln, and 53 – under 1% – to Omaha.
In addition to individual riders, trips in and out of Seward County included riders from Kinship Pointe in Seward, Hearthstone in York, Seward schools and the former Bright Beginnings Child Development Center.
Seward County Transit Manager Brandy Hafer has noted in previous meetings that there are several riders who regularly use the service for trips to medical appointments and recurring treatments such as dialysis and chemotherapy.
She has also noted that county residents use the service for local medical appointments, shopping or other personal stops.
Commissioner Darrell Zabrocki, who serves as the county’s liaison to the Seward City Council, said he planned to share the Seward ridership data with city officials prior to the hearing.
The data showed that more than half of the total rides were taken by 38 riders, and 20 of those used public transit more than 100 times, or about twice a week.
A little more than 60% of riders – 222 people – used public transit just one to four times over the course of the year.
Seward County had a population of 17,579 in 2024 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Data Commons reports that Seward had a population of 7,665 or 43.6% of the county population, Milford 2,656, 15.1%, and Utica, 1092, 6.2%.
Commissioners have been discussing the transit program’s federal and state funding cuts and their impact on Seward County riders.
They are also considering the impact on the county’s budget, which could have to bridge a $60,000 funding gap for transit services this year.
