Public transportation looks to expand services

Sanders County Transportation (SCT), based in Hot Springs, currently services the county with limited drivers and buses. Director Kelly Dossett from The Council On Aging in Hot Springs says she plans to expand those services in Noxon and the rest of the west end of the county. The current logistics of picking people up and taking them where they need to go such as appointments and shopping has been complicated, according to Dossett. She hopes to be able to hire more drivers to service those far reaching customers. Currently there are two trips a month to Sandpoint, Idaho. A driver from Thompson Falls has to cover that trip and other Noxon and Heron routes. Trout Creek has been taken in as part of Thompson Falls. Hot Springs, Plains and Thompson Falls have their own schedules. Adding a driver in Noxon would better serve that area to include Heron, Dossett said. If Noxon had its own bus, the trips would be smoother and shorter.

“Insurance costs and lack of personnel has made this expansion difficult,” Dossett said. “It takes a special person to be a driver,” she added. The buses and drivers accommodate people with disabilities as well as big shopping trips to places like WinCo and Costco in Missoula, she added.

Before the transit service was available to the public, it was used to transport senior citizens who could no longer drive. In 2008 the Department of Transportation began funding the local bus services and utilized the senior citizens’ vehicles to provide public transportation.

SCT system takes trips to Missoula five days a week from Plains and Thompson Falls. Hot Springs goes three days a week to Missoula. The west end of the county has a Missoula trip once a month. All three towns travel to Sandpoint and Kalispell twice a month. Local trips are limited as well. Booking ahead of time is crucial and anyone who does not book at least one business day in advance will be charged double for what is considered same day service. Each unscheduled stop requested the day of service will be charged an extra $1. Senior citizens are given a $1 discount on all fares. Since there are no designated bus stops, people can be picked up at their residences in town and specified locations out of town. The majority of customers are in Thompson Falls and Plains. This can result in as much as a 12-hour day for riders and a much longer day for drivers, Dossett said.

“If it is in the middle of winter and the roads are icy, the days can be very long,” according to Dossett. If someone calls to schedule a trip to the airport or a doctor appointment, ideally they should do this prior to scheduling their flight or appointment. This guarantees their space and time for transport.

There were 28,000 boardings logged in the last quarter and 11,000 disabled boardings, according to Dossett. That includes those passengers who boarded more than one time in a day’s travels. She stated that the department has to show a need for increased funding to receive the $20,000 she is requesting.

The state annual funding of $1,000 comes from the county mill for senior services. The DOT offers better funding, so according to Dossett, it has been beneficial being a public transportation entity.

“Some people have to save for their trips into Missoula,” Dossett said. “I want to tell the ones with now money to get on the bus. How do I look someone in the eye who had to save for the trip?”

Missoula offers free transportation on the Mountain Line Public Transit. The homeless take advantage of this during the extremities of summer and winter. This can cause seating issues, Dossett said. SCT does not have unlimited seating and routing schedules. It is not feasible to offer free fares at this time. The cost for insurance and fuel is a huge factor. And the need for more drivers on the west end of the county is a more pressing issue, she stated.

SCT offers service to surrounding areas for those who are in need of transportation. SCT picks up locally and coordinates trips to grocery stores, shopping centers, doctor appointments, airports and more. To reserve a ride, call (406) 741-2346 Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Make reservations early as buses fill up fast, Dossett says. Medicaid appointments must be reserved 48 hours in advance. Possessions/items are limited to that which will fit in your immediate seating area. Out-of-area stops are limited to no more than four reserved stops per person, including medical appointments, as stated in the SCT schedule and regulations pamphlet. For more information, call 1-800-246-5899 or visit http://www.RideSCT.com.