ASHLAND — Ashland Public Transit became a member of NEORide on Tuesday, a council of governments that works to improve transportation options in cities and regions across Ohio.
Ashland City Council unanimously approved of the membership after hearing from Barbara Rhoades, the CEO of the Ohio Transit Risk Pool, a public insurance firm that offers liability and property coverage to members. The City of Ashland is a member of OTRP.
NEORide brings transit executives from cities and regions across Ohio to the table to collaborate on projects — whether it be procurement for services or grant writing.
The agency has received state and federal grants for certain projects around the state.
Most recently, NEORide received a $2.1 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration for EZConnect, the centralized demand-response dispatch system being developed in partnership with six Ohio transit systems.
“Coming into NEORide gets you into that collaborative group. It gives you access to know everything that we’re doing, to decide whether there might be some things you wish to participate in,” Rhoades said.
Ashland Public Transit Coordinator Liz McClurg said joining NEORide would be “very forward” thinking, saying she could see integrating EZfare a significant part of Ashland’s participation in NEORide.
EZfare is a company that allows transit users to purchase fare through a mobile app.
“Part of being able to grow as being part of a small system is being able to be technologically ‘up with the big boys.’ And if we can do that more affordably and responsibly, then I think that’s a good step for us,” she said.
Currently, Ashland Public Transit users are limited to paying for fare by cash or by creating a pre-paid account, McClurg said.
She said being part of NEORide is just one step in growing the system’s accessibility and ridership.
Ashland Public Transit received a $1.32 million grant recently from the Ohio Department of Transportation to build a new headquarters near downtown. The facility is expected to include office space for the 14-person staff, a wash bay, a mechanical working area, 20 bays and room to store its fleet of 10 vehicles.
McClurg said the facility could even include space for a 40-foot bus turnaround, so that someday the center could serve as a stop for buses like GoBus, a fixed-route bus service connects Athens, Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and others.
NEORide charges memberships $1,000 per year, Rhoades said. She said the money helps pay for legal services and insurance.
