Trending
Washington County agencies are moving toward making transit services more efficient.
Bret Allphin, development director at Buckeye Hills Regional Council, said originally, stakeholders communicated about issues they were having, and transportation was a central complaint.
“Washington County (Job and Family Services) and other folks that provide transportation services were having the central conversation about improving efficiency,” he said. They gathered their resources and made an application to the Ohio Department of Transportation to fund the mobility manager.
The discussion eventually became about finding one person to administer the program.
“We publicly advertised and got several responses,” Allphin said.
In early spring, Brandi Hesson was hired for the job. He said Hesson had worked at Buckeye Hills in screening and intake for the aging department. She communicated with the seniors and connected them with community resources.
“She had been in that position with us for almost 10 years,” Allphin added.
As part of her new position, she will make sure the transportation services available are well-known and well-advertised.
“She’ll advocate for riders and their issues, and improve and expand services,” Allphin said.
According to Buckeye Hills, the Mobility Management Program is specifically designed to assist in identifying and removing barriers to employment, social service, health care and overall mobility for citizens including individuals with disabilities, older adults, low-income individuals and other socially isolated populations.
Washington County’s program is intended to be the first phase of a multi-county mobility management program to include Washington, Noble, Monroe and Morgan counties.
Buckeye Hills currently operates a geographic information system to make maps and analyze data that is used to allocate route for case managers. They hope to use the same system to map routes for people who need rides.
When the program was first in discussion, Washington County Job and Family Services Director Flite Freimann brought the matter before the Washington County Board of Commission.
He said there are 700 non-emergency trips a month, mostly within the county. With the mapping system Buckeye Hills has, they could map all of the trips to identify trends to better utilize the transportation already in use.
He said it isn’t just those in recovery who need rides into town from outlying areas. There are also seniors that need rides to the O’Neill Center or the Belpre Senior Center.
Drew Tanner, Buckeye Hills communications director, said their website has a new page for mobility management. Along with information on how to reach Hesson, there are names and phone numbers of transportation providers including Community Action Bus Line, National Church Residences, O’Neill Center and Ohio Valley Cab.
Allphin said Hesson will be looking for ways to run the transportation system in Washington County more efficiently, as well as mitigating challenges between riders and the modes of transportation.
“It will be matching rider with provider and connecting people with the services they need and desire,” he said.
Michele Newbanks can be reached at mnewbanks@mariettatimes.com.
At a glance:
• Brandi Hesson was hired as a mobility manager for a pilot program.
• Program seeks to improve transit services in Washington County.
• Pilot program is intended to be first phase of multi-county mobility management plan.
Source: Buckeye Hills Regional Council.