community conversation
The Inequities of a Public Transit Desert
Making Public Bus Service Work for the Western County
by link hoewing
Almost two-thirds of Montgomery County’ s 93,000-acre Agricultural Reserve lies in what is called the Western County. The Reserve was created by legislative policies in 1980 to preserve farming and open space and to prohibit investment in major developments and commercial centers. Prohibiting investment in development, however, should not mean we don’ t invest in the people who live in this area. At Fair Access it is our mission to ensure all 10,000 or so residents of the Western County have equitable access to the same range of county-provided services, facilities and programs others in the county enjoy.
Unfortunately, the needs of area residents here have been overlooked for decades. The high school always seemed to miss out on any plans to be modernized. The only medical clinic was closed by the county in 1989. We were promised a community center in 1978, but the county reneged on that promise. Western County residents have to travel more than 18 miles to a hospital in some instances and even farther to a senior center. These challenges are complicated even further for many residents by inadequate public transportation. Montgomery County’ s Ride On buses cover 495 miles in the county, run over 79 bus routes and provide 22 million unlinked passenger trips a year. In many areas down county, the system is robust and provides a variety of options and connections to get people conveniently to appointments and services.
Bus 76 runs to Poolesville but does not extend to other areas like Dickerson, Barnesville, Beallsville or Boyds. The route goes to Metro in Gaithersburg and does not stop in areas where many doctors and specialists have their offices. Older people in particular need that transportation. The route is also insufficient for residents who need to get to work reliably because it only runs before 8:30 a. m. and after 3:30 p. m. during weekdays and does not run on the weekends.
Not all families in the Western County have access to cars. Some studies suggest that up to eight percent of the County’ s population does not own a car. Standard taxis and Uber or Lyft are not reliable or affordable alternatives. According to a study by the County’ s Office of Legislative Oversight( OLO), residents in rural areas reported high passenger wait times for Uber and Lyft service. Examples include the Crisis Center and prenatal services clients waiting two to three hours for transportation due to lack of availability.
According to the same OLO study, clients report issues securing accessible taxi vehicles. Although customers request an accessible vehicle at the time of the reservation, there are cases in which the taxi driver arrives in a non-accessible vehicle( e. g., minivan) and / or relies on the customer to know how to safely enter / exit an unknown vehicle. Additionally, Uber and Lyft, as well as subsidized standard cab service customers, identified examples of drivers being unfamiliar with the Americans with Disability Act and denying transportation to riders with service animals.
Cab fares are often cost-prohibitive for certain populations, including older and infirm residents who live alone in rural areas. While taxi companies do offer reduced fare / no fare ride programs, these programs have maximum trip mileage limits. For residents in areas like Poolesville, many facilities are outside of the permitted range, leaving residents without access to these programs. Uber and Lyft often do not serve many areas in the Western County and service can easily cost $ 30-35 or more one way. Although the county has a subsidized cab service that provides much cheaper service, it is oriented towards low-income seniors who are 63 years or older. The service does offer rides to low-income adults between 18 and 62 years of age, but they must be disabled.
The Fair Access Committee has always said that distance, isolation, hidden need, and our small population define many of the challenges for those living in
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