Input needed on Grant Co. bus routes
A passenger waits to board a Grant Transit Authority bus in Moses Lake. GTA recently announced that service to and from Othello will be stopped beginning July 1.
GRANT COUNTY - Grant County Transit is seeking public comment regarding its service and to address improvements to current routes to better serve the community.
A series of public meetings have been scheduled throughout the county the first week of June. The first meetings with be from 12:30-1:30 p.m. and 5-6 p.m. Wednesday at the Grant Transit Authority Operations office on 8392 W. Westover Blvd. in Moses Lake. The next meeting will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Quincy City Hall on 104 B St. SW. The second meeting from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Ephrata City Hall on 121 Alder St. SW.
A Spanish interpreter will be at all meetings.
According to GTA Boardmember Dick Deane, 18,557 people rode the buses in April, a new high for riders in any month. The amount of riders has also increased 17 percent from last year, Deane said at a recent Moses Lake City Council meeting. Buses are also arriving at stops at the scheduled time about 95 percent of the time, usually off only five minutes before or after.
The transit authority is in the process of reviewing all routes and some changes are slated to begin in August.
The board also held public meetings in February and made the decision to discontinue the route in and out of Othello, which begins June 28.
Comments can also be made to Brandy or Saira in the GTA office at 509-765-0898 or email gta@gta-ride.com.