GENTRY -- Representatives from Ozark Regional Transit Authority spoke to the Gentry City Council at its regular meeting on April 6 to update the council on services ORT provides to west-side communities and to seek monetary support.
Jeff Hatley, mobility manager and public information officer for ORT, and Joel Gardner, executive director of ORT, told council members that the regional transit authority was seeking to expand its services into western Benton County and was requesting the city commit to giving the authority $1,000 per year to assist in providing those services. The money, they said, would be matched by Benton County.
"The entirety of the system is subsidized by the state, federal and local governments," Garner said. "Overall, our federal and state grants account for about 50 percent of our operating funds. The balance is from the local city and county funding," he said in an email on Monday.
Though no fixed routes are yet in place in western Benton County, the transit authority already offers services to western Benton County residents in the form of scheduling transportation for those requesting services. In the future, the organization said it hopes to include fixed routes between Gentry and Siloam Springs and expand service from there.
Explaining existing services, Gardner said a person could call the transit authority and schedule a ride to a doctor's appointment in Fayetteville for $2.50 each way -- far less than the cost of fuel to drive there and back. But, in order to schedule such transportation, the ride would need to be scheduled a week or more in advance.
"If someone calls and asks for a ride tomorrow, it's not going to happen," Gardner said, adding that if a rider calls a week or a month ahead, it definitely can be done.
Gardner explained that the service takes riders to their appointments and also schedules a return trip to bring them back home. The service can also take riders to shopping locations and back, or to other places and events, he said.
Gardner said the biggest obstacle for the transit authority to overcome is trust. People need to be confident that the service will get them where they need to be on time and also get them back home again.
"We don't leave our riders stranded," Gardner explained.
West-side service currently available includes pick up and return to a rider's home. In the case of fixed routes, service would be between scheduled pickup and drop-off points, Gardner explained.
According to Gardner, demand and response service is financially feasible for the west side of the county "with the assistance of the community that is being served ... If there is no community financial participation, it is not sustainable," he explained.
Gardner said he views fixed routes to be a real possibility along Arkansas Highway 59 and U.S. Highway 12. He said transportation to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Highfill could also be a possibility once road upgrades are made between Interstate 49 and the airport.
ORT's mission statement (published on the entity's website) reads: "Ozark Regional Transit, Inc., is dedicated to providing safe, reliable and affordable public transportation to both the rural and urban residents of the four-county area within our jurisdiction."
ORT's buses and vans are all Americans with Disabilities Act accessible. Riders with paratransport eligibility are a priority of the service. The website states, "If space is needed for an ADA qualified ride, a demand response ride may need to be moved or cancelled."
No action was taken by the council at its April 6 meeting, but the matter was referred to committee for further research and discussion and possible future council action.
General News on 04/15/2015