Irene Johnson, executive director of KARTS discusses the transportation services offered by the agency, the effects of Covid-19 and the need for drivers.
Johnson stressed Kerr Area Rural Transportation Authority operates with a “safety first” approach to everything.
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The term “public transportation” may conjure up images of crowded buses headed across a busy commercial district in a large city, but rural areas have public transportation services that help people get to medical appointments or complete errands in town.
In Vance, Franklin, Granville and Warren counties, 55 KARTS buses travel the country roads to pick up rural residents who rely on public transportation.
KARTS, or Kerr Area Rural Transportation Authority, has been serving the four-county area since 1983, said Irene Johnson, KARTS executive director. She told John C. Rose Tuesday on Town Talk that she wants to spread the word about KARTS.
Anyone who needs a ride to get a COVID-19 vaccine can ride for free, Johnson said. “We will make that possible at no cost” to the rider, she said. Just call KARTS at 252.438.2573 after scheduling the vaccine appointment.
Johnson said KARTS buses are on the road Monday through Saturday, and some drivers begin their shifts behind the wheel by 2:30 a.m. Many riders go to dialysis centers she said, and appointments there start as early as 4 a.m.
But KARTS buses take riders to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, too. A scheduler can provide details about schedules and fare costs. Visit www.kartsnc.com for a breakdown of roundtrip fares. A roundtrip fare between 1-10 miles costs $8; a roundtrip fare between 11-20 miles is $10.
Those Around the Town shuttles that scurry throughout Vance County are KARTS buses, too. Johnson said there are designated stops for those shuttles, which generally run between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
COVID-19 restrictions created extra steps for KARTS, including sanitizing machines for the vehicles when they’re off the road, as well adding hand sanitizer stations on each bus. Masks are required to board the bus, and drivers have extras for anyone who needs one.
In addition to transporting people to their medical appointments and grocery shopping, Johnson said KARTS also takes people to work. She said at least four buses deliver workers daily to their jobs at Revlon in Oxford. Johnson estimated that those 55 buses are handling an average of 400 appointments a day, down from as many as 700 at one time.
KARTS, like many other rural transport agencies across the state, need qualified drivers. “We’re comfortable at 400 (trips), but we could use 20 drivers right now,” she said.
Drivers must be at least 21 years old and pass a background check and a drug screen.
“You’ve got to be someone who likes people,” she noted. “The easy part is being behind the wheel – you may be the only person they see all day.”
(KARTS is an advertising client of WIZS. This article and audio are not paid ads.)