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Tulsa Transit Launches Turley Connector Shuttle

Matt Trotter
/
KWGS

The north Tulsa community of Turley now has a dedicated shuttle to replace fixed-route bus service it lost in November.

The Turley Connector will run every 30 minutes from the Tulsa Health Department to O’Brien Park, connecting residents with those locations, a grocery store and job opportunities.

"Not only is the service going to be much more comprehensive, it’s also going to be free. We’re able to do this through our CARES funding, and we will keep this going as long as we possibly can," said Tulsa Transit General Manager Ted Rieck.

Tulsa Transit ended Route 105 service along Peoria Avenue when the Aero bus rapid transit line started running. Aero, however, stops at 54th Street North, which left Turley without bus service.

Tulsa County Commissioner Stan Sallee said that was a real problem for an area where the poverty rate is around 30%.

"Over 40% to 50% have zero to one automobile. So, when we were looking in an area where we were going to reduce or eliminate, yes, there was only 40 riders on average that utilize this, but it was an important part of their lives," Sallee said.

Sallee would still like to see Aero extended north to serve Turley.

Tulsa Transit had been running a bus on a temporary “split end” route in Turley, but it ran every 60 minutes.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.
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