Transit Around Nebraska City plans community forum

NEBRASKA CITY – A voluntary citizens group is scheduling a public transit forum in Nebraska City hoping to expand Blue Rivers Area Agency on Aging’s handi-bus service.

When community influencer Doug Freidli approached Dr. Cole Marolf at CHI Health St. Mary’s, Marolf said they saw the situation from different angles. Marolf saw patients struggling to find rides to health care and Freidli linked school absenteeism to precarious transportation inside the city and a lack of sidewalks to connect employment centers.

Marolf: “We jointly identified what’s a known concern throughout, really, all of rural America, but including in Nebraska City, that many people who either have financial situations, personal health situations or any other reason that they have limitations to their mobility from a personal vehicle situation have challenges in getting around both inside and outside of town.”

With the support of the Nebraska City Community Foundation and Otoe County commissioners, Transit Around Nebraska City (TANC) reached out to consultant Via Transportation, which has recently worked on Metro Flex’s last mile transit in Omaha.

He said news about drastic budget cuts has been a factor in recent workshop meetings with stakeholders, but TANC is not giving up.

Marolf: “We have been working alongside Blue Rivers transportation because all we want to do it see them succeed and in fact grow their service capacity to meet the needs of those they are already serving and more.”

Marolf: “From our perspective what’s at stake is right now we already have a public transit service that is meeting needs during daytime hours that could be significantly limited, could have days cut, could have service connections to other towns cut, if they can’t meet their budgetary needs.”

He said the public forum is an opportunity to get public support in a complex transportation landscape.

The transit forum is scheduled Thursday, April 23, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building.