From staff reports<\/p>\n
\u201cConnecting people to community\u201d is the motto of Benzie Bus, and the public transit organization\u2019s new mission is to connect communities in Benzie County with one another and with Traverse City. Our nearby metropolis represents the hub of a 21-county \u201cmicropolitan region\u201d with a population nearing 150,000 \u2014 for its commerce and services, but also its festivals, cuisine and entertainment.<\/p>\n
To undertake this mission, Benzie Bus hired Bill Kennis in March as its new executive director. According to a press release, Kennis was recommended for the position by Tom Menzel, Executive Director of the Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA), which serves Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties.\u2028\u201cWe look forward to working closely with Mr. Kennis and his staff on finding innovative and creative ways to add value to the respective areas that we service,\u201d said Mr. Menzel. \u201cWe know that he believed in collaboration with others while working at the History Center, and we feel that approach will put our two organizations in philosophical alignment going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, Kennis and operations manager Chad Hollenbeck will collaborate to lead a major study of the transportation needs of Benzie County residents and visitors, using grant funds recently awarded by the Michigan Department of Transportation and Rotary Charities of Traverse City. The results will guide the design and implementation of future routes and services within Benzie County, as well as links to neighboring counties. The mission of Benzie Bus is to connect people of all ages and abilities to our community and promote independence and prosperity through a safe and convenient public transit system.<\/p>\n
We talked with Kennis about this new mission, and how he came aboard.<\/p>\n
Betsie Current<\/i><\/b>: Congratulations on taking the helm of the Benzie Bus! Tell us what led you to this opportunity.<\/p>\n
Bill Kennis<\/b>: \u201cI was looking for a new job after leaving the History Center of Traverse City.\u00a0My experiences \u201cdownstate\u201d leading a School Board and serving on Troy\u2019s DDA had given me some knowledge about community stewardship and felt that the Benzie Transit Authority Team was a solid organization I\u2019d be honored to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Current<\/i><\/b>: You live in the community, yes? What are your favorite local activities? Any favorite, dining, recreation, hiking spots?<\/p>\n
Kennis<\/b>: \u201cWe\u2019ve been homeowners in Frankfort since 2004 and I\u2019m active with Boy Scouts and Little League Baseball.\u00a0We\u2019ve hiked North Country Trail in Mesick, which is such an amazing local trek.\u00a0Regarding dining spots; there are so many like Fusion, Mayfair for Wings, Cru and now Storm Cloud \u2026 Frankfort\/Elberta is a foodie area!\u201d<\/p>\n
Current<\/i><\/b>:\u00a0We understand that the Benzie Bus is taking something of a new direction. What is that direction, and how will it impact Benzie citizens?<\/p>\n
Kennis<\/b>: \u201cI\u2019m fortunate that the Benzie Transit Authority Board successfully received grants for conducting a County Needs Assessment to determine whether citizens would like express routes to TC, M-22 destinations and for seasonal Festivals, and generally what programs can we offer inter & intra-county to serve our customers better.\u00a0\u201cBuses without Boarders\u201d we need to work in a collaborative fashion with the other county public transit providers to continuously improve and become more efficient. If we can do more with less funding; potentially we can expand and maybe offer evening and weekend service.\u201d<\/p>\n
Current<\/i><\/b>:\u00a0In general, how does this public transportation service enhance the Benzie community?<\/p>\n
Kennis<\/b>: \u201cWe provide about 90,000 customers exceptional service.\u00a0Our riders rely on Benzie Bus to meet their non-emergency medical needs, for shopping, for school and work.\u00a0It\u2019s hard to imagine many of our riders functioning without our cost effective dial-a-ride and flex-route services.\u201d<\/p>\n
Current<\/i><\/b>:\u00a0Any particular compliments you\u2019ve received from citizens? How about constructive critiques?<\/p>\n
Kennis<\/b>: \u201cSurveys suggest that our Drivers and Dispatchers are truly customer focused.\u00a0\u201cThey are courteous and helpful\u201d and \u201ceasy to get around\u201d according to some riders. Four-five riders rate Benzie Bus service as \u201cExcellent\u201d for on-time, affordability, convenience, friendliness & cleanliness and comfort \u2026 it\u2019s a great program and the Staff and Board aim to make it better!\u201d<\/p>\n
Current<\/i><\/b>:\u00a0What inherits challenges do you face in your job? What’s the toughest part?<\/p>\n
Kennis<\/b>: \u201cThe toughest part will be attracting riders who are, like many of us, used to driving themselves everywhere which costs much more than a $3 bus fare.\u00a0We have to be ready to service the non-riders and change habits.\u00a0Teens should feel comfortable with going to the Mall for a movie and wouldn\u2019t it be great to attend the Film Festival without driving and the stress and costs associated with parking?\u00a0How about airport service someday?\u00a0\u201cBuses without Boarders is our mantra\u201d.<\/p>\n
Current<\/i><\/b>:\u00a0What\u2019s on the horizon for Benzie Bus? What does the organization aspire to accomplish in coming years?<\/p>\n
Kennis<\/b>: \u201cOn May 10the entire Board and Staff (all employees) along with Community Leaders will participate in a Strategic Visioning session facilitated by NorthSky that will be the first-step in laying the groundwork for a superior bus services for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Current<\/i><\/b>: Any message you\u2019d like to broadcast to our Benzie readership?<\/p>\n
Kennis<\/b>: \u201cTry us, you\u2019ll like us!\u00a0It\u2019s our community and we all win with fewer cars on the road and a reliable, cost-effective public transit service that helps everyone, we\u2019re bringing workers to jobs and growing the Benzie economy, great place to work and live.\u201d<\/p>\n
Approximately one-third of Benzie Bus riders are senior citizens; one third are people with disabilities, and the remainder includes students, commuters and shoppers. The Benzie Bus system operates countywide Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Benzie Bus also offers hourly connections \u2013 from approximately 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., by reservation only \u2013 to the BATA bus system at Ric\u2019s Food Center in Interlochen. For more information, or to schedule a ride, call Benzie Bus at (231) 325-3000 or toll free at (866) 325-3380. Visit the bus system online at www.BenzieBus.com.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From staff reports \u201cConnecting people to community\u201d is the motto of Benzie Bus, and the public transit organization\u2019s new mission is to connect communities in Benzie County with one another and with Traverse City. Our nearby metropolis represents the hub of a 21-county \u201cmicropolitan region\u201d with a population nearing 150,000 \u2014 for its commerce and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[82,43,1,44],"tags":[84,66,83,85],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/BenzieBusStaff.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3TDCr-8s","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=524"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":526,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524\/revisions\/526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}