Agenda - 04-13-2004-8a - Laserfiche WebLink

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4 Work First Transitional/Employment Transportation Assistance Program With an allocation of $9,594, Orange Public Transportation provides former Work First participants or other low-income persons certified for Medicaid or Food Stamps with a maximum of $.300 per year to assist with employment related transportation. For car owners the funds can be used for repairs and/or insurance. For non-car owners the funds can assist with the purchase of bus passes, van or carpool expense, or possibly a vehicle donated to the Work First Program,. The actual service provider will vary depending upon the need, i.e. auto repair shop, insurance agent, or Taxicab Company. The OPT Transportation Coordinator will determine the most appropriate vendor on a case-by-case basis. Rural General Public (RGP) Orange Public Transportation, managed by the Orange County Department on Aging, serves human service agency clients whose ridership is paid by the 14 local sponsoring agencies and special populations such as the elderly, disabled or Medicaid clients who are supported with NC Department of Transportation, Home and Community Care Block Grant, or state public assistance funds. The majority of the OPT service is fixed routes or deviated fixed routes for human service clients. Utilizing lift-equipped vans and minibuses, the OPT program continues to expand coordination of its demand-response medical trips. The geographic service area is rural Orange County, outside the Chapel Hill Transit service area.. OPT service is provided each weekday, with weekend or' evening trips for' special leases or life-sustaining medical services. OPT had provided general public transportation on a seat available basis for several years. However, in FY 1993-94 OPT program staff and the Human Services Transportation Board made a commitment to better serve the public by (1) changing the program's Warne from Coordinated Agency Transportation to Coordinated Area Transportation and finally to its current Orange Public Transportation title, (2) designating existing bus routes to be promoted as public routes. In October, 1993 OPT established its first general public deviated fixed route from Prospect I-Iill Health Center through Hillsborough and into Chapel hill/Can-boro. Additionally, the Orange Enterprises route have been opened to the genera] public on aseat-available basis for early morning and late afternoon transportation between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. All routes with public seating operate on a deviated fixed route schedule. With advance notice, the OPT Dispatcher can approve and arrange for apick-up with route deviations made up to''/a mile for disabled persons or subscription riders. Also, public riders can be picked up at identified bus stops along the route with no advance notice. Orange Public Transportation has an allocation of $.3.3,231 for Rural General Public transit services for FY 2004/2005 with no local match required.