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  • Ki Bois Area Transit System carries folks to and from work, school, doctors and groceries stores, among other places in and out of Tahlequah. Josh Newton

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December 28, 2011

Providing a safe way around town

Many area residents rely on Ki Bois Area Transit System for basic transportation.

By JOSH NEWTON Staff Writer

TAHLEQUAH — Take a trip through Tahlequah on just about any given day, and you’re likely to come across a KI BOIS Area Transit System bus or van, whisking someone off to work, to school, or to an important appointment.

Buses are wheelchair accessible, and for people who don’t have their own vehicle, or who may not be physically able to drive themselves around, KATS is a life-saver.

The public transportation system stays busy with its task of escorting local folks around Oklahoma. Drivers, through the service, offer demand response, which includes curb-to-curb service to doctors appointments, stores or other venues; rides for health care patients, such as those who need a ride to dialysis treatments, or members of SoonerCare who need non-emergency transportation; inter-city routes to other bus depots; and routes for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families state program.

“I think we’re the busiest we’ve ever been,” said Terri Squyres, route supervisor for Tahlequah KATS.

Officials with the service have said Cherokee County is the program’s busiest hub out of its 11-county jurisdiction, garnering hundreds of calls on the busiest of days. The state and national economic climate is a big factor in the increased use of KATS, Squyres believes.

“We have 16 buses and 15 employees here in Tahlequah,” said Squyres.

KATS provides out-of-town services for various needs, and is frequently used for dialysis patients to get to and from their appointments. The dialysis routes are even offered on Saturdays and holidays due to the nature of the service, Squyres said.

Riders can take a trip on a KATS bus within Tahlequah’s city limits for $1 per stop, and children aged 4 years and younger ride for free. Other children up to age 9 ride for 50 cents each when accompanied by an adult, and children aged 10 or more ride for $1 per stop.

“In August or September, we opened up a Claremore jobs route,” said Squyres.

Each morning, the Claremore route begins at the Cherokee Nation complex, and picks up riders at a convenience store north of town on State Highway 82; at a Peggs church; and at Locust Grove Schools’ football field, eventually ending the route at Claremore Indian Hospital, she said. In the evening, a bus heads back to Claremore to return its riders to those areas.

Out-of-town rates vary by location, but most one-way trips within the county will cost riders $3-$8, with a few destinations costing upwards of $15. Other offerings, according to the KATS website, include a round-trip ride to Muskogee for $40; to Tulsa for $80; and to Oklahoma City for $200. Other trips vary by mileage, time and availability of vehicles.

“We frequently go to Tulsa, Muskogee, Fort Smith, Fayetteville, all of those areas,” said Squyres. “We have Sallisaw KI BOIS coming in here every morning and every evening, and Stilwell KI BOIS comes every morning and evening, so if someone works in one of those towns and needs a ride, they can just hop on that bus here in Tahlequah. If someone needs to get around, I’ll put them on a route. I just have to see what bus they need to go on.”

KATS is part of the KI BOIS Community Action Foundation. Its name, “KI BOIS,” was chosen in honor of the two “mountain ranges” in the area: the Kiamichis and the Sans Bois Mountains.

Tahlequah’s office started with three buses. The program receives some funding from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the city of Tahlequah, and Cherokee Nation has sponsored work trips to Stilwell and Sallisaw.

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