Transportation Authority offers later bus route hours for residents
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on December 6, 2016 9:57 AM
Residents interested in making evening trips to Walmart, Berkeley Mall or Wayne Memorial Hospital will get the chance with later bus route hours planned for the Goldsboro-Wayne Transportation Authority.
Three bus routes, including two of the most popular, will extend their hours to 8:30 p.m. starting in February, based on a Monday decision by the Goldsboro City Council.
GWTA operates from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The purple, blue and green bus routes will extend to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The red and yellow routes, which are less traveled, will maintain regular operating hours, said Fred Fontana, GWTA director.
The extended hours will be offered for three months, through April, as part of a trial run to determine the need for longer operating hours, said Mayor Chuck Allen.
"We want our folks without transportation to have better access later in the day to services," Allen said. "We're just trying something as an experiment to see is the need really there. We'll evaluate it. If it's there, we'll continue it. If it's not, then we won't."
The council approved the change, which includes an additional city cost of $9,685. The total cost to operate extended hours is $19,370, with the city receiving half the amount in federal funding, Fontana said.
In addition to the three buses, one Americans with Disabilities Act van will operate until 8:30 p.m., due to federal requirements. While each GWTA bus is ADA accessible, vans are also provided to the disabled, Fontana.
During a Monday council work session, Fontana presented several bus route options, including the cost to extend bus service one, two and three hours. Options for offering the hours during a three or six-month period were also considered.
Cost estimates were provided for GWTA's five routes, but Fontana said the yellow and red routes were less traveled. The yellow route includes stops at Carlie C's IGA grocery store and the Peggy Seegars Senior Center. The red route travels to the Rosewood area, with stops at Little River Square and Walmart.
Fontana said he could extend the bus hours as early as January but suggested a spring start, partly based on low ridership during the winter months.
Councilman Bevan Foster said Wayne Community College students would benefit from a January start.
"My concern is there's some folks that may be starting school in January," Foster said.
Based on a suggestion from the city's community relations director, Shycole Simpson-Carter, the council decided on extending the hours in February.
The green bus route will have later operating hours due to its service to the college and nearby Wayne Memorial Hospital, on Wayne Memorial Drive, Fontana said.
The blue route makes stops at Walmart on Spence Avenue, Berkeley Mall, the Peggy Seegars Senior Center and the Wayne County Department of Social Services. The purple route offers service to AMF Boulevard Lanes, the Wayne County Courthouse, Seymour Homes and Lincoln Homes.
The later operating hours are being added based on community feedback and area needs, Allen said.
During Monday's regular meeting, the council:
* Approved a $25,000 economic incentive grant for Alta Foods, which plans to add five full-time jobs by Dec. 31, 2017 as part of a $2.5 million equipment and machinery investment at its corn and flour tortilla production facility at 701 S. John St.
* Approved assessment fees for 11 property owners at Balsam Place, at $1,739 each, as part of the city's extension of new sewer lines to the area.
* Denied rezoning 3001 and 3003 E. Ash St. from a residential to a general business conditional district for a bar, partly due to a request to remove a separation distance requirement. The bar proposed to open near Heroes Sports Oyster Bar and Grill.
* Approved a conditional-use permit for the operation of a used car lot at 2011 U.S. 70 West.
* Approved a site plan for the addition of three rental storage buildings at Ample Storage Goldsboro on Tenth Place.
*Approved bond orders to issue $10 million in general obligation bonds for road improvements and construction of a multi-sport complex.
* Approved a Stoney Creek Greenway Trail agreement with Ridgewood Drive area residents to maintain the trail as a recreational resource in the community.
The council also recognized Team Rubicon and Christ in Action for their volunteer service in helping area property owners recover from Hurricane Matthew.
Joseph Messere, Team Rubicon region five administrator, drove from Gatlinburg to Goldsboro Monday to receive the recognition on behalf of nonprofit, which mobilizes military veterans to help communities sustaining damage from natural disasters.
Team Rubicon is now in Gatlinburg ready to help the community with losses sustained from the wildfires in Tennessee.