|
By Dawn Slade
Mille Lacs County Times
Car broke down? Need a ride to the grocery store? You don’t need to be elderly or disabled to ride the Timber Trails Public Transit bus in Milaca.
That’s one of the messages Timber Trails Transit Director Helen Pieper and Margaret Donahoe, a consultant for the Minnesota Public Transit Association, wants the public to know. They also want the community to know about the need for public transit and funding.
The bus is here and is available. Even if you don’t think you need it now, you may need it someday or someone you know may need to utilize its services.
All of a sudden mom needs a ride to the doctor’s office or the pharmacy and you’re miles away...call on public transportation.
Teenagers who don’t have a driver’s license or a car, can take the bus to the library or open gym at the school.
“It’s there for the general public,” said Pieper, who would like to see area kids “grow up” utilizing public transit.
Within a reasonable distance of Milaca (including Foreston, Bock and Pease), users can call ahead and request pickup.
The bus in Milaca runs Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. In Princeton, it runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Mora from 7 a.m. to 5:30/6 p.m. and northern Mille Lacs County from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m on Wednesdays only.
The fare is $3 and can include several stops.
In addition, there are daily trips from Milaca to Princeton that allow riders to visit Princeton for half a day or a whole day. The fee to Princeton is $5.
“It’s really a valuable community asset,” Donahoe said, pointing out that it allows some elderly members of the community to stay in their homes longer.
For an additional fee, riders further out in the country can call ahead, but that option may not be available in the future, depending on funding.
“There’s a lot more demand for the service than we can provide,” Donahoe admits.
And that’s where funding comes in. Timber Trails Public Transit (TTPT) is funded through bus fares, property taxes, state funding (general and motor vehicle taxes), and federal funding.
The state recently reduced its funding over the next two years. And Pieper waits to hear what the federal government is going to do.
“It may increase,” Donahoe said. “But we’re not sure where those funds would come from.”
With an aging population and the current economic situation, the state (and the country) is seeing a high demand for alternative driving options, such as public transportation.
In addition to eight paid employees, which includes four FT drivers and three dispatchers, TTPT also has 40 volunteer drivers who utilize their own vehicles to help reach everyone in need of transportation.
TTPT covers Mille Lacs and Kanabec counties and Pieper would like to see access to larger communities within those counties.
For Milaca, that would mean a trip to St. Cloud once or twice a month, for Princeton a trip to Elk River and for northern Mille Lacs County riders, a trip to Brainerd. It would allow riders to access more shopping venues as well as specialized physicians.
It’s a service that was provided in the past, but budget cuts eliminated those trips. Pieper is looking to incorporate that back into her management plan for 2010.
“We won’t know until October or November,” Pieper said. “There’s been a strong demand for that St. Cloud run.”
Pieper said community donations are great to help offset operating costs, however what she really would like is for more members of the community to get on and ride the bus.
“We want to be a real integral part of the community,” Pieper said, adding that kids, teens and adults are welcome to ride.
Pieper plans to talk with area schools that no longer have in-town bussing to see how TTPT can help, however the TTPT buses currently start at 8 a.m., when school begins.
“We have great tools, we just need more operating hours,” Pieper said. And that means more funds. “I don’t want to lose this asset.”
“Talk to your elected officials about public transit and why it’s important,” Donahoe prompted residents.
If you don’t want to talk to elected officials, you can send a letter to TTPT regarding your use of public transportation and the need to continue and/or expand it.
Pieper is also looking ahead to commuter routes to access rail systems.
“We’re going to need the transit system to feed those,” the TTPT Director said. “The time is coming and I want to be poised for that.”
Pieper reminded residents that you may not need public transportation now, but you may in the future.
“And you can get a ride for $3 compared to the cost of owning a car,” Donahoe added.
Editor’s note: Letters to TTPT can be sent to P.O. Box 7, Milaca, MN 56353. Call for pickup at 320-983-2494 or toll-free at 1-888-217-5222.
 |
