KI BOIS Area Transit System

KI BOIS Area Transit System
Headquarters1107 Industrial Road,
Stigler, Oklahoma
Annual ridership508,053 (2022)[1]
DirectorCharla Sloan
WebsiteOfficial website

KI BOIS Area Transit System (KATS) is a rural public transportation organization centered mostly in Southeastern Oklahoma, and specifically in the counties of Adair, Cherokee, Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, McIntosh, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Pittsburg, Sequoyah, and Wagoner.[2]

It is run by KI BOIS Community Action, Inc., a private, non-profit 501(c) corporation formed in December 1968 by merger of earlier Community Action agencies in Haskell, Latimer, and LeFlore counties.[2] The primary purpose of KATS is to help poorer communities by providing low-cost access to Senior Citizen centers, grocery stores, medical services and jobs.[3] This may include transportation to nearby towns; for instance, available service in Henryetta includes transport to Okmulgee and Tulsa.[4]

KATS’ parent organization is a recipient of Oklahoma Department of Transportation funds under that agency's Title VI Plan,[5] as well as a recipient of support from other governmental agencies including the Cherokee Nation[6] and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.[7] Riders are then charged a minimal fee for the service. KATS not uncommonly receives up to 500 requests for transportation per day.[8]

Despite the name, there is no generally recognized part of Oklahoma known as the "KI BOIS area" or "KiBois area." Southeastern Oklahoma is occasionally still called Little Dixie, while the official tourism designation for Southeastern Oklahoma is Choctaw Country, formerly Kiamichi Country. The title for the agency and transportation system was derived from the names of the two mountain sub-ranges which traverse southeastern Oklahoma, being the Kiamichi Mountains and the Sans Bois Mountains.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "KI BOIS 2022 Agency Profile" (PDF). Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "About Us". KI BOIS Community Action Partnership. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  3. ^ "Oklahoma Department of Transportation Website-- KI BOIS Area Transit System". Retrieved 2011-06-15.
  4. ^ "Henryetta". KI BOIS Area Transit System. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  5. ^ Oklahoma Department of Transportation Title VI Plan"Oklahoma Department of Transportation website" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-07-22.
  6. ^ Teddye Snell, “KI BOIS increases ride rate to $2,” Tahlequah Daily Press, June 6, 2014"Tahlequah Daily Press website". Retrieved 2015-07-22.
  7. ^ "Tribal Transportation Program". Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  8. ^ Teddye Snell, “KI BOIS increases ride rate to $2,” Tahlequah Daily Press, June 6, 2014"Tahlequah Daily Press website". Retrieved 2015-07-22.

Official website