TRIPS celebrates 25 years of service during Ohio Loves Transit week
For 25 years TRIPS buses have been keeping people on the road in Sandusky County.
As TRIPS recognizes the importance of public transportation during this year’s Ohio Loves Transit Week, Feb. 16-20, TRIPS is also celebrating its milestone anniversary of 25 years of service. Operated by Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (GLCAP), TRIPS provides low-cost demand-response transportation throughout Sandusky County, taking people to grocery trips, medical appointments, or wherever they may need to go. The service operates 5 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 5 a.m.-noon, Saturdays.
TRIPS also operates the Fremont Shuttle, which offers shuttle service in hourly loops at 18 total stops throughout Fremont at just $1 per ride, running 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday.
The familiar buses that travel regularly on city streets and county roads are here because of the collaborative effort of multiple agencies that worked to create the service 25 years ago. These agencies included the Chamber of Commerce of Sandusky County; Community Health Services; Early Intervention Project; Easter Seals of Northwest Ohio; Firelands Counseling & Recovery Services; Memorial Hospital (now ProMedica); Private Industry Council; Sandusky County Board of Developmental Disabilities; Sandusky County Department of Job & Family Services; United Way of Sandusky County; and WSOS Community Action Commission (now GLCAP).
“We started talking about the need for a dedicated public transportation service in the county in the late ’90s,” GLCAP President/CEO Ruthann House said. “Those discussions led to the TRIPS service that now provides thousands of rides each year for our county’s residents.”
After years of careful planning, TRIPS began operating in 2001 with WSOS Community Action Commission/GLCAP as the designated grantee.
Last year, TRIPS’ demand-response service provided 21,392 rides, while the Fremont Shuttle provided 12,211 rides. These rides totaled 331,476 miles of travel, including rides for seniors, medical appointments, dialysis appointments, and work.
“After 25 years of service, the number of rides TRIPS continues to provide each year is testament to the power of partnerships in our county,” House said.
Details on TRIPS demand-response and Fremont Shuttle services are available at www.glcap.org/trips. Rides may be scheduled by calling 419-332-8091.
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Great Lakes Community Action Partnership