Good news for the North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA) and its many riders ? the agency will once again receive the huge chunk of federal/state funding it had lost this year.
‘We’re happy we got this,? said NOTA Director Pat Fitchena. ‘We were worried. We don’t like to tell people, ‘No, we can’t take you somewhere.??
Exactly when the $327,089 in Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) grant money ? half of which comes from the federal government and the other half from the state ? will be available is uncertain. NOTA’s hoping for January, but there could be a ‘considerable delay,? according to Fitchena.
‘Saying you have the money doesn’t mean you’re going to get the check right away,? said Lynn Gustafson, accountant for NOTA. ‘We really don’t know when money will become available.?
NOTA provides free transportation to senior citizens, mentally and physically disabled individuals and welfare-to-work recipients living in Oxford, Addison and Orion townships.
NOTA’s previous loss of JARC funding for 2007 led to cutbacks such as taking buses off the road and the elimination of weekend service as of Sept. 1, 2006.
The return of JARC funding means the return, and possible expansion, of services.
‘Our first priority is to bring everything up to exactly what we had and then expand it as far as we can,? Gustafson said.
‘This will put us in a better position than we are right now,? Fitchena said.
Currently, NOTA puts seven vehicles on the road on a daily basis. JARC funding will allow the agency to once again run 10 buses a day.
The grant will also allow NOTA to again provide transportation on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to either 1 or 2 p.m.
‘Sunday for sure,? Fitchena said. ‘We really feel bad that we haven’t been able to take people to church.?
JARC monies, combined with another grant NOTA’s waiting to hear on, will hopefully allow the agency to extend its service hours. Right now, NOTA buses run from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
‘Our buses have to be back in the yard by 5 o’clock,? Fitchena said.
‘We’re hoping to initially expand it to 7 p.m.,? said Gustafson. ‘And then if additional funding comes in, expand to 9 p.m.?
Later hours would benefit riders who work irregular hours, but depend on NOTA to transport them to and from their place of employment. ‘Not everybody works 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,? Fitchena said.
Extended hours would also benefit local veterans who NOTA transports to the county building (1200 N. Telegraph Rd) in Pontiac. From there, the veterans are taken to the Veterans Hospital for their appointments. Unfortunately, when the veterans are brought back at the county building at 5 p.m., NOTA can’t pick them up.
‘We can take them there, but we can’t go get them because these buses have to be back in the yard,? Fitchena said. ‘That’s something we would like to be able to do ? bring our vets back home where they belong.?
NOTA was able to secure JARC funding for next year thanks to the efforts of Fitchena and Gustafson, who put in more than 250 hours working on a Coordinated Transportation Plan for Non-Urban Oakland County. ‘In order for us to be eligible to receive new JARC funding, we have to be part of a plan,? Gustafson explained.
The plan involved NOTA and rural townships that have no transportation systems such as Brandon, Groveland, Holly and Rose townships. ‘We are finding in mass numbers there are so many people who are transit-dependent for one reason or another,? Fitchena said. ‘These people also need to have somebody look after them.?
Aside from ensuring NOTA maintains and expands its services, the plan focused on how these rural communities can establish their own transportation agencies and how they can cooperate and coordinate with each other and NOTA to get residents where they need to be.
‘You have to show that you’re working together,? said Gustafson, noting because they’re part of the plan, all the communities and organizations that participated are now eligible for JARC funding. ‘It’s not just for NOTA.?
Fitchena said NOTA is willing to help these communities develop their own transportation services and connect with them to ensure residents in non-urban Oakland County can get a ride when they need it to wherever they need to go.
‘The more people we can move, the better,? Fitchena said.