Federal funding to help 10 rural transit agencies
FRANKFORT — Sandy Valley Transportation Services is among 10 rural Kentucky transit agencies receiving federal funding for upgrades.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday that the transit agencies had been approved for more than $11.5 million in Federal Transit Administration funding.
The agencies serving 46 Kentucky counties spanning the state will use the funding to modernize their bus and wheelchair van fleets and make other essential upgrades to facilities and equipment.
Sandy Valley Transportation Services will receive $2 million to construct a new administrative facility.
“Kentuckians deserve reliable and accessible buses and vans to get to and from work, school, church and more – and those opportunities should be available to every single community,” Gov. Beshear said. “This funding will help more rural agencies better serve the families who live there, creating a better quality of life for people across the commonwealth.”
The federal funding, to which Gov. Beshear’s administration is adding $2.9 million for a total of $14.4 million, will go toward purchasing 42 transit vehicles, 12 of which will replace older vehicles. The other 30 vehicles represent expansions of service. Funding will also be used to build, repair or expand seven transit facilities and purchase equipment such as generators, laptops and software.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Office of Transportation Delivery administers the federal funding.
“These new buses, vans, equipment and upgraded facilities will improve safety, service and reliability, and at the same time cut maintenance costs for the local transit agencies,” said KYTC Secretary Jim Gray.
Sandy Valley Transportation Services serves Martin, Floyd, Johnson, Magoffin and Pike counties.
The transit service offers a lifeline to medical care for residents approved for transportation by Medicaid or the UMWA.
Services do not stop there. Any resident needing a ride to the grocery, Walmart, post office, a job, job interview or anywhere in SVT’s five-county service area can simply “dial-a-ride” and pay $1 each time they board the bus. Folks who need transportation outside the region can ride for 30 cents a mile. Seniors 55 and above get that ride for 25 cents a mile.
SVT is available for scheduling rides at 606-886-1936.
Other transit services included in the funding are Blue Grass Community Action Partnership Inc., City of Maysville/Maysville Transit System, Daniel Boone Community Action Agency Inc., Harlan County Community Action Agency Inc., LKLP Community Action Council Inc., Licking Valley Community Action Program, Murray County Transit Authority, Paducah Transit Authority, and Pennyrile Allied Community Services Inc.