StarTran


StarTran is the public transit bus system in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. They operate 18 regular bus routes and a downtown circulator service on weekdays from 5:15 a.m. to 9:55 p.m. and Saturdays from 5:55 a.m. to 7:05 p.m. There is no service on Sundays. There is a special Handi-Van transportation service for those who have a disability that prevents them from riding a regular city bus.

Environmental

During the summer of 2014, StarTran received 5 New Flyer CNG buses that currently operate on routes 24 Holdrege and 25 Vine. StarTran is due to receive several more during 2015 and convert a third of the fleet to CNG by 2016. The other vehicles in the fleet continue to run off Soy Biodiesel.

Statistics

StarTran's 2005-2006 annual operating budget was $8,585,826, 65.75% of which was funded through the city, 16.64% from user fees, 16.06% federally, and 1.55% through the state of Nebraska. The total ridership for StarTran in the 2005-2006 year was 1,826,289 riders. StarTran's nearly 70 full-size coaches and handi-vans traveled 1,740,148 miles in the 2005-2006 year.
Ridership in 2004-2005 was 1,648,744, 97% of which were riders on fixed routes. 1,715,530 collective revenue miles were traveled by the fleet in the same year, 82.02% of which were on fixed routes.
In August 2012, StarTran announced it had 2 million rides for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, for the first time in 20 years.

2013-2015

StarTran traveled 1,857,689 revenue miles in the 2013-14 fiscal year and provided 2,495,206 rides. The annual operating budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year is $12,252,632.

2015-2016

StarTran had a budget of $13,067,600 for fiscal year 2015-2016.

Route list

StarTran has a variety of fare payment methods. Fares may be paid while boarding or passes may be purchased before boarding. Children under 4 years old ride free. Transfers are free. Passes may be purchased at the StarTran 710 "J" Street, at a retail outlet, or using the Token Transit mobile ticketing app.
Fare TypePrice
Cash Fare$1.75
Senior Saver /Go For Less Cash Fare$0.85
Downtown Trolley$0.25
Go For Less/Senior Downtown Trolley$0.10
Handi-Van$3.50

Additionally, the following pass types are available:

2013 passenger assault

A 43-year-old StarTran bus driver was fired after physically assaulting a 40-year-old passenger on 23 March 2013 for "asking too many questions." The white driver beat a black passenger, hitting him at least 18 times before dragging him off the bus and throwing him into 84th Street in Lincoln. The incident garnered national media mention, and a video of the incident went viral online.
Troy Fischer was found guilty of 3rd degree assault in July 2013. His sentence in January 2014 called for 12 months' probation and 100 hours of community service.

2014 accident

On 4 August 2014, a StarTran bus was involved in a three-car accident. The bus driver had to be extricated, and six people were injured.

2016 Transit Development Plan

On November 1, 2016, StarTran implemented a new route structure from a Transit Development Plan. Almost all routes were reconfigured with the exception of University of Nebraska-Lincoln funded services. Three routes now run all day until 9:55 PM with 30 minute headways on weekdays. Several changes occurred in December 2016, and more in January 2017 to refine the plan. Changes included removing the 46 Arnold Heights from being interlined, and creating a 3-way interline between routes 40 Heart Hospital, 42 Bethany, and 49 University Place due to on time performance issues with routes 40 & 49. Most routes now run until at least into the early evening hours.

Bus Stops

For the first time in its history, StarTran implemented a policy of only stopping at designated bus stops instead of its traditional flag stop system where customers could flag down a bus on any corner along the route. Stops have improved on time performance and driver/customer confusion on what an appropriate place to stop is.

Route Interlines

The following routes are interlined, meaning that at some point in their route they change into the other route listed.
StarTran does not operate on Sundays, and weekday service used to end early in the evening. During the summer of 2014, the 55 Star Shuttle was piloted to run until midnight on Thursday, Friday, & Saturday, but after low ridership on nights without events at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the service was not renewed after the 3-month trial ended.
All routes operate on a "spoke" arrangement from the downtown, adding to travel time for cross-town trips, and creating unnecessary detours for some routes, such as the former "27th Street Shuttle", which bypassed a densely populated neighborhood.

Operation

Mid America Coach, Inc. is a supplier of StarTran public transportation vehicles.