The first of the new public transit services resulting from the historic transportation funding bill, HB2313 and the 2013 General Assembly session’s Senate Bill 1140 (transit performance metrics) kicked off Nov. 4 in Central Virginia. JAUNT, a public transportation provider based in Charlottesville, covers six jurisdictions and is providing new services in each of them.
Four new services kicked off in November in the Counties of Louisa and Fluvanna; five more will begin in January in the City of Charlottesville and the Counties of Albemarle, Buckingham and Nelson.
“We are just thrilled to be able to expand our services to more people who need them,” says Donna Shaunesey, Executive Director of JAUNT. “Thanks to this additional funding, we’re able to provide more rural and urban services and more people will be able to get to dialysis and medical appointments, more low-income workers will be able to get to jobs, and rural residents will have greater access to vital services.”
“Public transportation is often the only way some citizens of the Commonwealth are able to retain their independence and mobility,” said Thelma Drake, director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT). “The addition of new JAUNT services provides more opportunity for users to continue to meet their transportation needs when travel by a single-occupancy vehicle might not be an option. This new service is exactly what the General Assembly anticipated – expanding transit service to more Virginians.”
JAUNT is a regional transportation system providing service in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Louisa, Nelson, Fluvanna and Buckingham. The seventy vehicle fleet carries the general public, agency clients, senior citizens and people with disabilities throughout Central Virginia. Organized in 1975, JAUNT maintains an exemplary record of safety, cost efficiency, and high quality service, and is recognized both statewide and nationally for its performance record. In FY13 JAUNT provided over 300,000 trips to work, agency programs, doctors’ offices and retail businesses. JAUNT is owned by the local governments that it serves and uses federal, state and local funding to supplement fares and agency payments.
Started in November:
- Louisa County – Intracounty demand-response on Mondays, assisting residents to get to doctor’s appointments, jobs, dialysis and local businesses from 6 AM to 4 PM.
- Fluvanna County – 1) a 3:30 PM return trip on the commuter route from Charlottesville, allowing commuters who leave work at3:30 to avoid waiting til the existing 5 PM return, 2) a midday demand-response service to Charlottesville on Tuesdays, and 3) demand-response Intracounty service on Fridays (especially useful for those on dialysis).
Coming Soon:
- Charlottesville and Albemarle – adding afterschool transportation for Headstart, Boys and Girls Club and other programs to allow more children to participate and an urban/rural connector for commuters on 250 West.
- Nelson County – 1) extending one of the existing commuter routes to UVA’s Research Park, 2) adding a 5 PM commuter
route return to serve people who work until 5 PM. - Buckingham County – a new express commuter route to Charlottesville.
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