The Kerr Area Regional Transit system is scheduled to get part of more than $10 million in federal grant money that is being awarded across the state to help expand on-demand services for those who need help with transportation.
State transportation officials say the federal grant award – $10.4 million in total – will be used in up to 11 communities across the state and has the potential to benefit thousands of individuals.
“More than one million people in North Carolina live in a household without a car or have other barriers limiting their access to reliable transportation,” said Ryan Brumfield, director of the Division of Integrated Mobility, a unit in the N.C. Department of Transportation. “By expanding on-demand transit services, we take an important step to remove barriers for these individuals. Having a more robust network of multimodal services will connect people to the jobs, educational opportunities, appointments and shopping they need for their daily lives.”
KARTS operates in Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties. Call to make a trip requests Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
KARTS vehicles also transport passengers to major medical facilities nearby, including Wake Forest, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill during the week. Service requests for the following day are taken until 1 p.m. or as capacity allows.
Passengers can arrange to use the rural, public transportation service to go shopping, to get to work, keep medical appointments and more. Visit http://www.kartsnc.com/ to learn more or phone 252.438.2573.
The award comes to the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Integrated Mobility Division from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rural Surface Transportation Grant, which is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
In addition to KARTs, Tar River Transit and Wave Transit in Wilmington also will get a cut of the money. Money will be distributed to similar type services in Alamance, McDowell, Johnston, Randolph and Rockingham counties, as well as in the towns of Sanford, Salisbury and Wilson.
The funding will pay for advanced transit scheduling software deployment and, in some communities, third-party contracts for vehicles and drivers to support the new on-demand services.
The Integrated Mobility Division applied for the funds to expand on-demand transit, in part, because of the success of prior on-demand transit deployments in North Carolina, including the Wilson RIDE service. That service has garnered national attention for its success and positive impacts.
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