Rural N.C. county turns to collaboration to score transportation success

Transit system fosters job training, employment chances in rural N.C. county

Rockingham County, N.C., a mostly rural county spanning more than 570 square miles, has been collaborating with a nonprofit organization to implement a countywide rural transit system.

Although the county’s overall population is estimated to slightly decrease from its current population of 93,643 residents, the county anticipates a significant increase in the population of residents age 75 and older over the next 20 years.

Based on the county’s unemployment rate, median household income, population growth and assessed per capita property value, Rockingham County has consistently ranked as one of the most economically distressed regions of North Carolina.  

Aging, Disability and Transit Services (ADTS), a private nonprofit organization, has provided general public transportation through a demand-response system across Rockingham County since 1983. ADTS provides oversight and administration of all non-emergency medical transportation for Medicaid beneficiaries. Despite the success of the current system, staff continued to receive requests for a more easily accessible source of public transportation.

In the fall of 2010, ADTS pursued federal Targeted Transportation Assistance Program funding administered through the North Carolina Department of Transportation. This two-year federal grant opened funding to transportation programs targeting identified priority groups including the elderly and individuals with disabilities. ADTS was approved for funding to operate one route in the city of Eden and in January 2013, it launched the first bus route to serve Rockingham County in more than 50 years. In August 2014, ADTS launched the second route with equal success and positive community reception, and in May of 2015, the third and final leg of the bus network began, linking three towns within Rockingham County.

The grant funding, initially used to purchase buses and market the service, has been renewed annually.

In addition to the three bus routes, the network also includes a connector system that offers riders the ability to move across the county as well as access the numerous services and programs housed at the county seat.

Although the service targets elderly residents or individuals with disabilities, the entire public can use the system for a $1 fee.

Although ADTS secured funding to implement the necessary services, the organization recognized that collaboration, particularly with the local municipalities, would be instrumental to enhance service responsiveness, expand community use and secure the long-term sustainability of this program.

Ongoing communication and adaptability were crucial components of the program’s success and allowed ADTS to amend the routes as necessary to address changes in consumer needs or reflect usage statistics.

The new program, with an annual budget of approximately $300,000, fostered collaborations with additional community partners such as the local community college, which offered students the opportunity to purchase a semester-long pass that provides unlimited use of the bus system as well as connector vans that transport the students directly to the campus. Thousands of riders have used the system to date.

County staff continue to hear how the system is changing lives for the better — it’s helping residents by providing transportation to and from classes at the community college, helping people access public and nonprofit programs or secure groceries and medications.

The bus system also plays an integral role in expanding job training and employment opportunities. Goodwill noted that last year 65 individuals used the system to access job training and of those 50 are now employed — transportation and access equate to jobs in the community.