CRESTVIEW — Thelma Ragland wants to be able to go grocery shopping. Kenny Fuller, who’s mobility impaired, would like to get to the library. And Mae Retha Coleman wants people to be able to get to doctors’ appointments.
Neither Ragland nor Fuller have cars, and Coleman often drives neighbors without transportation to their appointments.
City officials and management of Meruti Fleet and Management, operators of Okaloosa County’s Emerald Coast Rider bus service, received input from public transit riders and proponents Tuesday night at a series of transit town hall workshops.
After a brief introduction by Meruti vice president of operations, George Cavelle, a former Chicago Transit Authority director, residents were given color-coded dots to stick on maps lining the wall to indicate where they’d like to see a Crestview bus service stop.
The dots tended to follow the city’s State Road 85 north-south corridor, with clusters appearing around services and facilities such as Winn-Dixie, the library, North Okaloosa Medical Center, Publix, Wal-Mart and the “Four-Story” medical center.
Other suggested stops included downtown, City Hall, the county Brackin Building, Twin Hills Park, Goodwill, the Okaloosa County courthouse and Consolidated Ace Hardware.
“I’ve been dying to get to the library,” Ragland said, a luxury she has had to forego since bus service was terminated through Crestview in 2014. Grocery shopping is also a high priority for her family, which has no car.
“I was walking a mile to catch the bus every day, but they just quit running it,” Ragland said. “I don’t mind walking but we live too far way to get to the store.”
Meruti’s Emerald Coast Rider bus service General Manager Bob Berkstresser said the company is also exploring commuter bus service, especially for low-wage workers who have to head to the south county.
“If we can come up with some park-and-rides, the folks who have those $9-an-hour jobs would have some options,” Berkstresser said.
Berkstresser said Meruti is in early conversations with Eglin Air Force Base officials about providing a bus service to and around the base, which lacks on-base transport after its shuttle service was discontinued.
At the same time, the transit operator is working to simplify routes, make route maps more understandable and install technology that will help riders see when their bus is expected.
The county recently signed a purchase order for 10 GPS systems for county buses, “so now folks can get online and see where the bus is,” Berstresser said. “Maybe they can get in a few more minutes of shopping or another cup of coffee rather than waiting at the stop.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview residents weigh in on public transit needs