Westmoreland Transit to buy new buses for paratransit program
The Westmoreland County Transit Authority will buy 16 new buses for its paratransit program this year.
The agency’s executive director, Alan Blahovec, said a $756,000 state grant will be used to purchase 12 mini buses used in the shared-ride system that operates as Go Westmoreland. Another four buses will be bought using money left over from a grant funded last year.
The purchases will increase the paratransit fleet to 63 vehicles, but it’s unclear when the new vehicles will be delivered, Blahovec said.
Money for the purchases is being filtered through the state from the federal government, which must first approve the bus order. The buses cannot be ordered until the federal government shutdown is resolved.
The new buses are expected to improve the paratransit service that last year provided passengers with more than 195,000 rides.
The authority last year bought eight smaller vehicles for the paratransit program. Those buses were put into service over the summer.
Meanwhile, Blahovec said, 11 new handicapped- accessible, 33-seat, natural gas buses for the authority’s fixed route service are expected to be delivered in March following production delays.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact
Rich at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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