Photo courtesy of Lancaster-Fairfield Public Transit
It was about 10 years ago that Pickerington lost the public transit bus assigned to it.
Lancaster-Fairfield Public Transit began offering an on-demand response service in 2010, primarily for senior citizens without alternative transportation, but that was it.
No longer.
When funding for the service was lost, Pickerington City Council turned its assigned bus over to LFPT. The on-demand service provided an option, but the model had flaws.
“It is very-time consuming, costly and severely limits the amount of people we are able to provide transportation to,” says Carrie Woody, director of LFPT.
Not only could the system be inefficient from an economic standpoint, but it also provided challengers for riders. There was a 30-minute wait time for riders upon requesting a pickup, which often prompted residents to simply not use it.
Photo courtesy of Lancaster-Fairfield Public Transit
As of Oct. 18, two routes have been added to Pickerington and Violet Township
Thanks to the new route service offered, including 44 new stops, LFPT is able to efficiently provide transportation to more individuals and at a much lower cost to the rider. Now, riders have a five-minute wait, rather than 30, with on-demand service.
A few popular stop locations include Giant Eagle, Meijer, Kroger and Walmart, as well as the OhioHealth Pickerington Medical Campus, Diley Ridge Medical Center and, of course, Pickerington Senior Center. Seniors can apply for the mobility rate of 25 cents per ride, while the general public’s rate is 50 cents per ride.
Giant Eagle serves as a transfer stop, with transfers costing only 10 cents for each rider. Exact change is required, and LFPT recommends riders arrive at the stop five minutes prior to the scheduled pickup time. A complete schedule can be found on LFPT’s website, www.ci.lancaster.oh.us/242/transit.
Stop locations were carefully selected with the help of Ted Hackworth, president of the Senior Center’s Board of Trustees, and public comment. Common pickup locations requested through the on-demand model have been added to the route, along with several stops in an area identified by the Fairfield Regional Planning Commission as senior low income housing.
“We’ve spent nearly two years planning and routing stops,” says Woody. “Ted Hackworth was instrumental in helping route and time the schedules.”
Hackworth and his wife, Ann, drove the route through Pickerington a few times, trying to keep it under an hour. They personally mapped out 25 stops located in areas from which Senior Center members commonly request transportation. Woody then added in more stops, taking into account the needs of other community members as well.
When Hackworth took on his current role at the center in 2010, he questioned the on-demand bus service, since the center donates $5,000 annually to help fund LFPT. One Senior Center member had tried 18 times in a two-month period to get transportation, but she was turned down each time because no buses were available.
It was this realization that led him to get so involved in the process. He wanted to make the center and its resources available to all seniors in the community, especially those who need extra assistance getting from point A to point B.
Photo courtesy of Lancaster-Fairfield Public Transit
The two routes, both north and south, are running on an hourly loop, with the option for community members to request a pick-up within a ¾-mile radius of any listed stops. These requests need to be at least 24 hours in advance. The two routes are in operation 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The new routes are operating under a six-month pilot program with the state. A public hearing will be held in February to review ridership. Public comments are welcome and desired, so they can be submitted to the Ohio Department of Transportation along with other information. ODOT then decides whether it will become a permanent service.
Hackworth encourages the community to utilize the newly available routes in hopes of establishing a permanent service to Pickerington and Violet Township.
“Use it or lose it,” says Hackworth.
Jenny Wise is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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