XENIA — Greene CATS Public Transit will benefit from a $105 million statewide investment in the state’s transit system.
Greene CATS will use the increase of $150,000 for 2020 to partially fill the $480,000 annual funding gap created by the loss of service for developmentally disabled riders in early 2019 due to regulatory and provider changes. Along with federal funding, contract revenue and cash reserves, the increase will allow Greene CATS to continue providing their remaining services at current levels to developmentally disabled riders who work in the community and disabled, elderly, and low income individuals for trips to work, medical appointments (including substance abuse), social services, and shopping, according to a release. Greene CATS also provides accessible transportation for federal workers employed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) and for Greene County veterans who receive services at WPAFB and the Dayton VA Medical Center.
Area agencies will celebrate state lawmakers’ investment and highlight how transit is the strong economic engine of communities through the Ohio Public Transit Association’s (OPTA) Ohio Loves Transit Week Monday-Friday, Feb. 10-14. Local transit agencies will use the week to highlight how their systems are enhancing mobility for all around the state and spurring economic development through job access.
Ohio Loves Transit week will include activities with transit customers all week with the third annual “Ohio Loves Transit Day” celebration on Friday, Feb. 14. On that day, OPTA agencies from across the state will ask riders to share why they support public transit, and why state and federal leaders should, too. National statistics show that every $1 invested in public transit generates $4 in economic return.
Greene CATS is striving to meet the daily mobility needs of the county’s growing senior population, along with keeping up with the capital need to move workers, students, and those without access to their own vehicles, the release said. Greene CATS provides more than 126,340 rides per year, including more than 36,815 rides for seniors and people with disabilities.
