By ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — As Reno County Area Transit prepares to revise its schedule this Friday, the county run bus service continues to look for drivers. According to Director Barb Lilyhorn, the department is still short of drivers.
“Things really have not improved, in fact we are down another position,” Lilyhorn said. “At this time, if we were to continue to run our current hours, before the change, we would have to cover 200 hours.”
Currently Rcat has just ten drivers to operate the system. The bus service has received some applications but Lilyhorn says most if not all can’t meet the basic requirements for hire.
“One of the stipulations is that people have a good driving record and also be able to pass a drug screening and that has eliminated a number of applicants,” Lilyhorn said. “We’re hopeful that this group (of new applicants) that we will have some people that will work out.”
The temporary change in operating hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and Demand Response will operate exclusively on Saturday with no fixed routes. Lilyhorn says that the Saturday on demand schedule will allow residents who are not along a route or in a paratransit situation to get door to door service.
“The difference that we feel will be a service to them is that they can call and request a ride. They don’t have to go through any paperwork to get that door-to-door service," Lilyhorn said. “We’ve had people who need an accessible vehicle and they weren’t signed up for paratransit and they didn’t live along a fixed route so that limited our ability to serve them.”
That door-to-door service will cost $2 per ride. Currently Rcat operates 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and operates three Fixed Routes and Paratransit on Saturday. Rcat says they are working to develop new recruitment tactics they hope will attract applicants. Lilyhorn says she does not foresee the driver situation to improve anytime soon.
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