Century residents will have on demand public transportation beginning Feb. 20 following a presentation by the Escambia County Transit Authority (ECAT) at Monday night's meeting.
Tonya Ellis and Linda Roush with the Escambia County (Fla.) Board of County Commissioners Mass Transit Department, which is responsible for ECAT, spoke to the council at the meeting.
“We came in September to discuss potential inservice for transportation in the Century Area,” said Ellis. “We applied for a grant with the Florida Commission for Transportation of the Disadvantaged for additional services in the rural area and were awarded a $50,000 grant for this initial year as a pilot project.”
Ellis said the service will kick off Feb. 20 and information about the services will be posted on the county's website as well as ECAT's website.
“The service will be available to rural areas anywhere north of Qunitette Road, Molino, Walnut Hill, McDavid, Century areas,” said Ellis. “Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the route will be centralized within the Century, Molino and McDavid area or the northeastern side. On Tuesday and Thursdays, it will be the northwestern areas, namely Walnut Hill, Davisville and Bratt.”
Ellis said that there is some flexibility allowed in the days and areas of travel since this is the pilot program, to get the much-needed transportation to those in the outlying rural areas who need transportation the most.
Currently, the bus will run Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for around $1 to $2 maximum one way. Ellis noted that the organization has other grant funding in the works, which will probably reduce that cost to $1 per person.
“The run is very similar to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transportation and community transportation services,” said Ellis. “It's an on demand service, so individuals call and they will pick them up.”
There will be several public meetings prior to Feb. 20, including one at 6 p.m., at Byrneville Park, located at 1701 Highway 4-A in Byrneville on Wednesday, Jan. 23 and at 5 p.m. at the Molino Community Center Complex, located at 6450 Highway 95A on Thursday, Jan. 31. She is working with community and media relations to get the material out.
“The service is not income-based, but it is based on the destination of the users,” said Ellis. “We are in the process of getting funding to fund a second vehicle, based on need.”
She said the new service will connect to the current ECAT route in Century, and it is strictly a circulator service in this rural area.
“If someone wanted to go to Pensacola, they can get to the ECAT bus stop to go into town,” said Ellis. “Now you can travel throughout the area.”
The bus top at the Molino Library is the same route as Century. Individuals need to call in at least 24 hours in advance to ensure availability. The van will hold 10-12 passengers and is wheelchair accessible.
“The way the grant is written, it does allow some flexibility for us to make some adjustments,” said Ellis. “We are having this public outreach so we can make necessary adjustments to make sure those connections are there, so we can before Feb. 20, if there is a need.”
Although there is not an age limit and no identification is required, the same guidelines for public transportation will apply. Individuals will fill out an application one time, and it stays on file.
The one-page application, which is available in person or online, can be downloaded and is for reporting purposes for the grant only, to ensure that services are being provided to individuals in the area.
For more information, contact Tonya or Linda at 850-595-3228.
