An open public forum was held by representatives of East Texas Council of Government to discuss transportation concerns for people in Wood County July 22 at Quitman Public Library. Jim Moore and Kathy Chambers represented Moore and Associates, consultants to ETCOG, while Melissa Cure was on hand to answer questions about the GoBus program.

ETCOG has been seeking residents in their 14-county service area to participate in a short-term project to improve mobility throughout the region. The project is an update of the regionally coordinated transportation completed in 2011 and funded by a TxDOT grant obtained through the East Texas Connects committee and ETCOG.

Moore explained the premise of the project. “About every five years, ETCOG undertakes an update to the original coordinated transportation plan. This is the second update to a plan that was originally crafted about 10 years ago. The purpose of the plan is to identify and quantify mobility needs in the 14-county region covered by ETCOG,” Moore said. “We going out to the 14 counties and holding meetings similar to this open to the public to really give folks the opportunity to talk about their needs and priorities. We have heard through a combination of surveys, online comments, attendance at meetings, and have probably now heard from 220 to 225 folks.”

Moore talked about information gained through their efforts. “We take all this information in terms of priorities and needs and see which ones fit in the existing framework. For instance we go to some meetings and they are not even aware the GoBus exists, who it’s for or where it goes,” Moore explained. “It does give us the opportunity to promote the program as well as the services that exist. We have heard from all kinds of folks of various ages and various needs. Some folks ask for access to health care, some folks ask for ways of getting to school or occasional training, to get to senior programs and it is our hope that by working with other organizations we can come up with a series of practical achievable service recommendations.”

Cure serves as a liaison between East Texas Connects and the regional coordination committee which is made up of elected officials, health and human services organizations, and general riders of transportation. “Our goal is to involve as many East Texas residents in the current project as possible,” Cure said. “By hearing directly from area residents we will focus on those future public transit and mobility improvements of greatest importance.”

Cure talked about the GoBus program for people in Wood County. “If you are a person 60 and over and you are going to medical dialysis or a senior center, that fare is covered by the Area Agency on Aging. Everyone else pays an applicable fare,” Cure added.

Cure said the program goes from Quitman, Mineola, and Winnsboro to Tyler on Thursdays. You have to call 24 hours to seven days in advance to use the GoBus service. “It’s called an advanced reservation shared ride program. You call in advance and say your pick up point, here’s where I want to travel to, and here’s the day and time I want to travel. It’s not a taxi or limousine, it’s very likely there will be others on board,” Moore confirmed.

Drivers are employed by ETCOG and typically live in the area from where they drive. “It gives a sense of community. We like to have them out in the community to help promote the service. We like to recruit drivers from within the communities,” continued Moore. “The drivers may know some of those using the service. They usually know the roads and paths needed to travel on, so it helps to keep folks local.”

The operating hours are available Monday through Friday. “We are open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every Monday through Friday. If we are going out of county, say from here (Wood County) to Tyler we are usually in Tyler from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” Cure said. “We make about 500 trips daily in all 14 counties.”

The GoBus costs are $8 round trip or $4 one way within Wood County and $10 round trip to Smith County. It is a service available to persons of all ages, not just senior citizens. According to an agreement with the Area Agency on Aging of East Texas, they can only pay fares for senior citizens over 60 years of age who take trip for medical appointments, dialysis, and senior centers who have qualified for AAA assistance.

To schedule a trip, call 1-800-590-3371 before 2 p.m. the day prior to the requested service. You may schedule a trip up to one week in advance. For more information, go to www.etcog.org.