KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – A plan by Metro Transit officials to ease the pain of Kalamazoo business owners affected by street construction hasn’t worked out as planned.
They say there were zero passengers on the free shuttle bus meant to help patrons reach a Northside neighborhood grocery store and other businesses impacted by the construction and road closures.
So now less than three weeks after it launched the service, the City of Kalamazoo has decided instead to offer free rides with Metro Transit’s Metro Connect on-demand rides to select businesses at Park and Ransom Streets as well as a separate project further south on South Westnedge between Crosstown Parkway and Howard Street.
The large amount of construction this year throughout Kalamazoo, especially around downtown, is due to a combination of federal and state funding deadlines, and work related to the new event center being built.
Some small business owners on the Northside say the shuttle service came too late for them, accusing the city of poor planning.
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