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The Social/Intellectual Committee of the Multi-Agency Collaborative Council (MACC), Allegan County United Way, Allegan Area Educational Service Agency (AAESA), and Martin Resource Center (MRC) are partnering to launch a county transportation pilot. The purpose for the pilot is to 1) discover way to effectively identify and tap the current transportation resources in our county and 2) to demonstrate the need to improve the existing transportation system in Allegan County. The committee researched how existing vehicles that provide transportation might be able to assist the Allegan County Transportation Service (ACT) in transporting people in need. They quickly realized that the AAESA and local school districts have buses on Allegan County roads Monday – Friday, and have “down times” between the delivery and pick up of their students. Ultimately, working with the AAESA, the county educational agency that coordinates county-wide Special Education student transportation, the pilot project was launched and will offer a pilot transportation service between the MRC and the cities of Plainwell, Otsego, and Allegan.
“The United Way Board has identified transportation as a major focus for this year,” stated Mimi Gabriel, United Way Executive Director. “If this works like we hope it will, perhaps this pilot can be duplicated across the county.” How will the pilot work? A Special Education bus will run every Tuesday from the Martin Resource Center and will rotate between the cities of Allegan and the Plainwell/Otsego area. Buses will go to county services, hospitals, doctors, dentists, and shopping needs, and be able to accommodate almost any appointment need in the areas specified. Car seats will be available upon prior request, and the cost will be $2.00 round trip per adult with scholarship monies available through Martin Area Resource Center. “This project is very exciting,” stated Tracey Robrahn, MRC Director. “We have all worked well together to try to assist these families during this difficult economic time.” Robrahn goes on to share that the Department of Human Services is willing to work with the pilot to schedule their client appointments during these bus runs. Robrahn will be working with case management with both the client and the service to set them up. AAESA will provide the bus and driver, and the Martin Resource Center will be the pick-up point and also develop the schedule. A reservation in required and can be made by calling Tracey Robrahn at the Martin Resource Center at 269-207-6409 in advance. A seven-day notice is preferred. Transportation will take place between 9AM and 2PM. A MRC survey showed that people would be willing to pay $2 per round trip, and this $2.00 fee will help offset the cost. The extra required funding for this service will be provided by the United Way, who will allocate enough money to cover the additional projected pilot cost. “This is an opportunity to maximize the use of school buses and our drivers during the down time between runs each day,” explained Mark Dobias, AAESA Superintendent. “We are please to be part of this pilot and help meet the needs of MRC clients.” The need for improved transportation services in our county is apparent, with the rise of gas prices, and the current economic crisis. However, through this pilot and the current transportation survey being conducted, we will be able to clearly identify and validate what level of service our county residents really need. |
