Getting users of Area of Richmond Transit to better understand and come to terms with the complexities of scheduling was a major issue expressed Tuesday at a workshop to determine local public transportation needs.

The workshop was held as part of developing a Locally Coordinated Human Services Public Transportation Plan for the Lumber River Rural Transportation Planning Organization to qualify for certain federal funding.

Janet Robertson, regional transportation planner, represented Lumber River Council of Governments, which also includes Hoke, Robeson and Scotland counties; Terry Jordan represented the Public Transportation Department, N.C. Department of Transportation; and Johnnie Morman is director of the Area of Richmond Transit, Richmond Interagency Transportation Inc.

Together with others in the community, they helped identify local needs to improve the service.

A dialysis patient expressed a concern, which has also been voiced to others participating in the workshop, that he had to wait up to two hours some mornings for a ride back home after his treatment when he wasn’t feeling too well.

While it was a concern, no solution was offered because of the nature of the ART service of trying to meet the needs of providing transportation to so many throughout the county within a certain time frame.

Morman said services depend on calls coming in to the office in Rockingham. He said sometimes patients forget to call for pick-up service thinking someone else may have called instead.

A large number of people being served include those needing transportation for some type of medical service.

But usually there can be a long wait for being picked up because an ART bus or van is on its way, but is picking up others along the way.

Service nature

Since ART does not run like a regularly-scheduled bus on a service route, waiting is the nature of the service.

Getting word out to the public about the service was listed as an important need.

Linda Jordan of ART said she spreads the word as often as possible around the county about the services provided.

But still, some workshop participants — including Morman — felt everyone was not being reached. It was suggested that the service should be emphasized again in the county newsletter being mailed each month with county water bills.

It was recommended that a study be made to see if fixed routes into municipal areas would be feasible.

James Armstrong, county planner, said interest had been expressed by private companies for such routes until they determined they weren’t profitable. He expressed concern for ART running routes with near-empty buses.

Morman said while there was capacity to accommodate more people, that depended on the timing. With 13 vehicles, there were just so many people who could be accommodated at any one time.

Funding

Jordan said the funding for a year is dependent on the number of people served the previous fiscal year. If ART showed a significant increase in riders, the funding from the state would increase.

From July to December 2008, Morman said ART made 22,850 trips amounting to 117,066 miles traveled. He said that averaged out to 3,800 trips a month, 950 a week or 200 a day.

During 2008, the number of riders increased by 386, he said.

“For a small outfit, we do a lot of traveling,” he said. Even while trying to accommodate everyone, “We get fussed at a lot,” he said.

Not a taxi service, riders are required to call 24 hours in advance to arrange to be picked up the next day.

To reach the office in Rockingham, residents of the Mangum and north western part of the county as well as the Hoffman area to the east, have to call long distance.

Morman said he has arranged for a toll-free line to accommodate those residents, and has been waiting for the telephone companies to make the necessary connections to his office.

Non-profit

A nonprofit organization, ART is assisted by the county in supplementing Morman’s salary; but the rest of the operation depends on state/federal funding and contracts with the Richmond County Department of Social Services, the McLaurin Center, and other human service programs.

All county residents over 60 years of age can ride the ART free, courtesy of funding from a senior citizens state program.

Anyone in the county not falling under a free category can ride ART for a fee, according to a schedule for the Rural General Public Route. Many are able to use this service for transportation to work or school.

Other topics discussed include:

n ART buses and vans need to use more flashing signals for safety of passengers getting on or off vehicles.

n Consideration should be given to expanding services for residents needing services in nearby counties. One county resident on the Montgomery/Richmond County line is picked up by a similar service in Montgomery County and taken to dialysis in Montgomery County. Others seek dental services in Anson County and medical services in Scotland and Moore counties. Some people, such as those at McLaurin Center, are already being picked up from neighboring counties.

n It was suggested ART look into using a computer program for scheduling even though the operation is believed to be too small and lacking established fixed routes for such use.

n It was suggested perhaps some groups of riders could all park at one location for pickup on an established route.

A plan for the Lumber River COG, including the input from Tuesday’s meeting, will be presented later.