Optimizing investments with the Sawyer County/Lac Courte Oreilles transit system

Abstract

Utilizing Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Casino revenue, the LCO Transit Committee has worked with Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College (LCOOCC) students and other community partners/volunteers to implement a joint mass transit system in conjunction with the surrounding Sawyer County Transit (SCT). The system has now been in operation for 9 months and serves over 1200 community members per month. Because the LCO Transit side has been completely funded by casino revenue and managed/operated by a group of volunteers, no formal analysis of the system has occurred. In an effort to sustain and improve the current successful system, the LCO/SC Transit Committee is exploring federal and state aid in order to improve the efficiency of operation by expanding collaboration between LCO and SC. More efficient ways to manage its assets and integrate this mode into local and regional transportation plans is needed. LCOOCC faculty and students will work in consultation with various transportation agencies to assess community transportation needs, compile accurate demographic and economic profiles for the LCO and SC community, assess transit modes within other tribal communities, and identify the benefits of a formal collaboration between Sawyer County and Lac Courte Oreilles.