Follow Through on Minibus Program
A step taken last week by the city of Ventura could soon help save many weary steps for the west county’s older and disabled residents.
The City Council urged South Coast Area Transit (SCAT) to apply for newly available federal funds to pay for an expanded minibus program that would combine senior dial-a-ride, senior nutrition transportation and transport services for people with disabilities. The plan could provide significantly more and better service while saving money for the partners in SCAT: Ventura County and the cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Ojai.
If SCAT agrees to apply for $1.5 million in air-quality improvement funds under the federal Transportation Equity Act, it could purchase 19 new minibuses and draw up a plan to operate them. Ventura City Manager Donna Landeros said it could take 18 months or more to fully implement the plan but that improved service could begin much sooner. It would mark the beginning of a shift from large buses following fixed routes to a more flexible fleet of minibuses responding to changing needs.
For residents of SCAT member cities who cannot drive because of physical limitations, the action is as liberating as one’s first driver’s license. What a simple thing it is for most of us to go shopping, or to the doctor, or out to dinner and a movie. But for those who lack the ability to get around town independently, the world shrinks dramatically. Life can quickly become boring and dreary. An efficient and flexible transportation system could change that, improving the quality of life for thousands of older and disabled residents.
Credit for getting the wheels turning on this worthwhile venture goes to senior activists Mary Lou Goetz, Russ Murawski, Virginia Forbes, and Art and Ruth Kinne. For six years, with letters and petitions and visits to city and county officials, they have been pushing for better transportation.
The next step is up to SCAT’s board members, who will discuss the strategy Nov. 18. We encourage them to follow through on this win-win idea. This plan must not be tripped up by bureaucracy or sabotaged by union foot-dragging.
It is time for SCAT to put the needs of its riders, and potential riders, at the top of its priority list where they have always belonged.
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