News Release
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jill Smith
Office: 661.869.6307
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2019
Golden Empire Transit District Annual Report to the Community
Bakersfield, CA — The Golden Empire Transit District (GET) announced today its 2018/2019 Annual Report, which highlights the District’s revenue, expenses, improvements, and contributions to the Bakersfield community.
“For every dollar GET spends and invests, it creates $5.80 in return,” said Karen King, GET’s CEO. “For every dollar a Bakersfield resident earns, the average household will spend nearly twenty percent of that dollar on transportation, 94 percent of which is for buying, maintaining, and operating cars.”
As detailed in the report, GET has 358 employees, serves a population of 500,977, and had a 2018/2019 operating budget of $31.5 million and a capital budget of $5.4 million. GET’s fiscal year expenses included:
- Transportation Services – $12,767,175
- Facilities & Accommodations – $1,439,457
- Paratransit – $2,424,859
- Vehicle Maintenance – $7,554,662
General Administration – $6,608,862GET’s revenue for the year totaled $30,795,015 and included:
- Sales Tax Revenue – $18,833,195
- Federal Assistance – $5,689,148
- Passenger Fares – $4,862,817
- Cap and Trade – $565,109
- CNG Excise Tax Rebate – $160,127
- Interest – $171,125
- CNG Sales – $177,313
- Advertising – $314,106
- Other – $22,075
In addition to its 16 fixed routes (which transported 6.4 million riders this year) and its 25 compressed natural gas GET-A-Lift buses, GET launched its on-demand pilot project (RYDE) on April 7, 2019. The service is proving to be successful in shaping the future of public transportation in Bakersfield. As of September 2019, RYDE has provided over 10,000 custom trips. On October 3, 2019, the service hit a record high of 126 custom trips for the day.
In addition to being the primary public transportation provider for the Bakersfield Urbanized Area, GET was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award at the Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK) Humanitarian Awards Banquet on May 9, 2019. “Transportation isn’t the only service GET provides for Bakersfield and the Kern County community,” King said.
GET was formed in July 1973 and is the primary public transportation provider for the Bakersfield Urbanized Area. It is the largest public transit system within a 110-mile radius. The District’s legal boundary includes Bakersfield city limits as well as adjacent unincorporated areas. GET has a fleet of 88 compressed natural gas buses equipped with wheelchair lifts and bike racks. GET serves 16 routes, operating 7 days a week and transporting more than 6 million passengers each year with its fixed-route buses. In addition, GET operates 25 compressed natural gas GET-A-Lift buses and 7 microtransit RYDE shuttles. For more information, visit www.getbus.org or call 869.2GET (2438).
