A community group traveled to Charlottesville on Thursday as part of their efforts to bring public transit back to Rockingham County. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
[sounds of interstate driving, people talking]
Church leaders with the group Valley Interfaith Action, or VIA, along with representatives from major employers and the county government, took a 14-seater bus ride over the mountain on Thursday. They traveled to the headquarters of Jaunt – the regional transit organization that serves Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. CEO Ted Rieck led them on a tour of the facility, which houses about 80 vehicles. All their rides are fare-free.
TED RIECK: We serve about 800, 900 people a day across seven jurisdictions. And most people will call into our call center here – come on down – and they'll book a ride.
This is a different model from the newly-launched MicroCAT program in Albemarle County. Jaunt goes further out into their service region, but you have to schedule a few days in advance to be sure they're available. VIA wants to bring their services to Rockingham County. Helen Momoh, an organizer and Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church parishioner, explained how valuable this kind of service would have been to her in years prior.
HELEN MOMOH: I was pregnant at one time and I didn't have any means of transportation. … And this particular day … I needed to go to church, and someone picked me up, and I was really craving for bread [laughs] … I couldn't get to the store because the person who picked me up was kind of in a rush.
VIA is lobbying the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors to approve Jaunt applying for a state 'demonstration grant' that would cover 80% of the program costs for the first year. The remaining 20% – or $200,000 for a limited initial rollout – could come from private employers or the county. After the first year, state and federal funding would likely cover 70% of program costs.
