Live in Abilene and want to get to Salina? Or vice versa? We have the thing for you!
What is KanConnect?
OCCK Transportation offers a regional route from Abilene to Salina and back, each Friday, starting November 5, 2021. The route is part of the newly established KanConnect program of OCCK, a plan to connect regions of rural Kansas through public transportation options.
Where does KanConnect go?
The KanConnect bus service will have two bi-directional trips each Friday. The first route will start in The KanConnect bus service will have two bi-directional trips each Friday. The first route will start in Abilene at the OCCK office at 8:30 a.m., then head west to West Stop West, then to Frontier Estates, with another stop at Country Mart, before heading out of town to Salina. In Salina, the bus will stop first at Walmart and then stop at 7th and Walnut and then head back to Abilene to the same stops. This route will do this loop twice and finish in Abilene around 3:35 p.m. each day.
Where does the bus stop in each of the communities?
Click the link for maps of the communities with stops:
What transportation do I use when I get to those communities?
You can connect with a local transportation provider in each of the communities to get to your final destination. Use the links below to find out more information about each.
In Salina:
On each trip to Salina, the KanConnect driver calls the Salina dispatch office for the passengers that need additional transportation assistance when they get to Salina. OCCK provides Paratransit services to their destinations. The passengers will call OCCK dispatch when they need to be picked up to meet the fixed-route bus.
KanConnect connects passengers to CityGo in Salina, through the transfer points at 7th & Walnut and Walmart. A CityGo day pass is included in the fare for KanConnect riders going to Salina.
Passengers can also get to the following places:
North Central Kansas – by using 81 Connection by OCCK Transportation
Wichita – by using Beeline Express
Kansas City of Denver – by using Greyhound
The World – by using the Salina Airport
Ride a Bike:
81 Connection riders can also use KANcycle bike-sharing bikes to get to additional destinations. Check out the KANcycle website for more information, or download the Movatic app on either Apple or Android.
What does it cost to ride KanConnect?
Fares will be charged as $1.00 from town to town each way, with the one way fares as follows:
Where can I purchase tickets and passes?
- Passengers must pay the exact fare to the fare box on the bus. The driver will not make change. Drivers do not sell tickets strips or punch cards. THose must be purchased in advance.
- Several fare options are available:
- Per Ride (Cash): Varies per Fare Chart
- 6 Trip Ticket Strip (6 tickets worth $1.00 each): $5.00
- Punch Card (24 punches worth $1.00 each): $20.00 (not available currently)
- Punch Card (48 punches worth $1.00 each): $40.00 (not available currently)
- A Salina CityGo bus pass will be included in the Salina fare (Make the Connection pass).
- Locations for purchasing the ticket strips and/or punch cards are:
- Salina
- OCCK Transportation, 340 N. Santa Fe, (cash, check or credit cards)
- OCCK, Inc. Main Office, 1710 W. Schilling, (cash, check or credit cards)
- By mail
- Send a check or money order payable to:OCCK, Inc., PO Box 1160, Salina, KS 67402-1160
- Please submit this Order Form with your payment
- Online
- Using the OCCK Transportation Online Store to purchase passes, with a credit or debit card only. Passes can then be picked up or mailed.
- Mobile Tickets
- Riders can also download the Token Transit app on a smartphone for a digital fare payment option. Token accepts debit and credit cards only. Passes must be purchased in advance and shown to the driver when boarding.
- Salina
What are the rules of KanConnect?
Please view the most current version of our Passenger Guidelines. If you have questions about anything, please call OCCK Transportation at (785) 826-1583 or (855) 577-4337.
How do I find information about weather or other emergencies for KanConnect?
Information about route closings due to weather or other circumstances will be posted on Channel 12 (KWCH), FM Radio Stations 92.7, 93.7, 95.5, 99.9, 101.7, and 104.9, AM Radio Stations 910, 1150 and 1390.
Passengers should also sign up to receive Text Notifications from OCCK about service notifications like closures, shortened hours, weather updates, etc. Text Start OCCKTransit to 80123 to get enrolled.