Amazon Coming to Lubbock Means More Bus Routes Needed

It was confirmed on February 1st that Amazon is bringing 230 full time and a few hundred part-time jobs to Lubbock. Many of those positions will be at a facility located in the Lubbock Business Park, which is about a mile north of the loop off of I27.

That's great news for job seekers in Lubbock, but some of the folks who need those jobs the most need better access to transportation to that area.

There are already facilities out there that employ a lot of people, like Standard Sales, Republic National Distribution Company and O'Reilly Auto Parts. But the bus route that goes to that area is currently extremely limited. With Amazon incoming, I sincerely hope Lubbock takes the necessary moves to ensure access to the area via public transportation. Certainly, many people in Lubbock own cars, but some do not for financial reasons, due to a disability, etc.

Currently, the route to the area is known as the "DPS Route," which indicates its current assumed function: getting people to the Department of Public Safety. The earliest you can arrive at Lubbock Business Park is currently 9:50 a.m. The map didn't indicate the latest you could leave from the park. The only route to the DPS Route is from the Downtown Transfer Station, which you can get to via transfers (of course), but a couple more straight shot routes seem like a really good idea as well.

Getting to this area via bike seems incredibly dangerous, and using an Uber or a Lyft is cost-prohibitive. I think it is the city's moral and economic imperative to give everyone a fair shot at these new jobs, as well as the jobs that already exist at Lubbock Business Park.