Logan County Public Transportation looking to grow

[June 01, 2015]  LINCOLN - A brief public hearing was held on Friday at the Logan County Courthouse. Pam Meagher, the Program Compliance Oversight Monitor, or PCOM, conducted the hearing in order to inform the public of the Logan-Mason Public Transportation Program and address any concerns.

According to Meagher, the program is applying for two grants, and this is the 4th year they have applied. One of the grants is for the operation of the program, and the other is for the purchase of vehicles. The grants are federal grants that pass through the state budget, at which point the state adds its own money to the grant. Meagher also said that the state’s contribution would likely be reduced in the amount funded for public transportation this year.

“The governor’s proposal has $226,100 for transportation,” said Meagher.

According to Angie Jenkins, the director of the Public Transportation program, as of right now, the program has twelve vehicles; ten of which run every day and two are backups. Jenkins said they would like to use the grant to purchase two new vehicles. According to statistics, the program provides around 20,000 rides annually.

“We want to have more vehicles out on the road,” said Jenkins.

Jenkins said one of the challenges for the program is making sure people know anyone can use their services. Primarily, the program is used by seniors in the area. According to Allison Rumler-Gomez, the Executive Director of Community Action, a transportation program like this one is deemed successful if it can maintain a percentage of senior customers at around 65%. “Right now we’re at a little under 60%,” said Rumler-Gomez.

Jenkins said they have not heard any concerns from the public as to how the program is operating. The program is able to provide transportation to anywhere someone needs to go, such as shopping, doctors’ visits, or education.

“We definitely want to grow the program,” said Jenkins. “We are always happy to work with other groups in the county.”

[Derek Hurley]