City to get bus riders out of the weather
By Barbara Arntsen
Published in News on November 16, 2004 2:02 PM
The Goldsboro Wayne Transportation Authority voted Monday to buy up to 12 bus shelters from a Michigan company. They will be used by the patrons of the Gateway bus system.
A need for shelters at various bus stops has been a frequent request of riders for several years, but ordering them has not been easy.
Before the authority could order the shelters, it had to have a procurement document in place. That document had to be approved by the state.
For months, the authority didn't get any response from the state on the procurement policy. When the policy was finally sent back to Goldsboro, changes had to be made to the document.
Finally, in late fall 2003, the document was approved. But by then the authority was busy searching for an independent contractor to run the transportation system.
The shelter topic came up again in February, and the authority decided to put the process on hold until the new contractor was hired.
In July, Applebus Co. began its management of the public transportation in Wayne County. Applebus also manages the transit systems in Edgecombe, Wilson and Nash counties.
The authority then drafted specifications for the shelters and asked for bids from several companies.
On Monday, David Eatman, told the board that Brasco Inc. of Detroit, Mich., was the low bidder. Eatman was given a 90-day contract in September by the authority to get administrative services on track for Gateway.
Eatman said that each shelter would cost about $2,500. The authority has allotted $30,000 in its budget to purchase shelters.
The shelters will be closed on three sides but open in the front. A bench, stretching three quarters of the length of the shelter, will be mounted inside. The remaining space will be for wheelchairs.
The shelters will be ordered this week, and Eatman estimated they would arrive within four to six weeks. City workers will erect them at the following locations: Courtyard Circle, Lincoln Homes, K-Mart, Seymour Homes, Westhaven, Fairview Homes, and the Piggly Wiggly on Lionel Street.
Paul Larson, a representative of Applebus, will later give the authority suggestions for additional locations.