Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
The Mason Transit Authority has plenty to look forward to and challenges before the calendar flips to 2022.
MTA General Manager Amy Asher started in July and she’s getting more comfortable in the position, even though there’s still a lot to learn.
“A big part of that is getting to know the community and getting to know staff and getting to know our board members,” Asher said. “I’ve spent quite a bit of time doing that. Earlier today, I had a meeting with a board member, a 1-on-1 meeting and I really enjoyed that time. There’s just been a lot of getting a lay of the land that’s been going on and a lot of meetings by Zoom. I’m starting to get connected with the Mason County joint information team and hearing their COVID updates and knowing what we can do to be supportive in the community through that venue.”
Asher said she is working on the 2022 budget, which includes bringing back full service to Mason County. MTA cut service back because of COVID-19, but with the uncertainty of when the pandemic will end, Asher feels it will soon be time to bring back the full service if safety measures are in place.
The biggest problem with bringing back full service is the lack of employees. Asher said there are four new employees joining MTA later in October to take the driver class along with another recruitment drive in November for a January driving class to make sure full service can be staffed.
“Hopefully, once those folks have graduated and they’ve finished all of their training and are able to be out on the road, that should be sometime in the spring of 2022,” Asher said. “That’s the hope, if we can actually get them in the door and hiring which is a challenge I know everyone is facing right now.”
The driver shortage is affecting MTA, including some drivers out on long-term leave, which is why MTA decided to scale back its services rather than continuously cut routes. Asher said the plan is to incrementally bring routes back in January and February, as long as more people are hired and MTA can get back to its previous staffing levels. It can be tough to compete for drivers with other industries in Mason County.
The park and rides are an ongoing project for MTA. The Pear Orchard park and ride, which opened in July, has been well received, with at least a few cars in the parking lot every weekday.
There have been some supply chain issues with getting cameras to some of the other park and rides, but installation is expected soon and after ensuring all the proper permits are acquired, the park and rides can open fully. Pickering Road and Cole Road are expected to open by the end of the October and the Belfair park and ride is planned to be ready by the end of the year.
The MTA Dial-a-Ride service now has an app where riders can text directly to the app and schedule a ride. MTA uses the Ecolane app, which can be found on the Google and Apple app stores.
“We’re starting to see the Dial-a-Ride usage go up I think as people realize that’s a pretty convenient feature to be able to send a text when you need a ride,” Asher said. “Usually within about 30 minutes, we’re able to send a bus out to pick that person up. They’ll get a text to their phone when the bus is about 10 minutes away, so they’re prepared and ready to go and it’s all a fare-free service.”
MTA will be at the Mason Health Trunk or Treat at the end of the month with a bus handing out candy and to interact with the community.
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