Rowan Express Adds Eastern Route July 19
06/30/10 by Staff Writer
The Rowan Express will expand its weekday service to Granite Quarry, Faith and Rockwell beginning July 19.
A 14-passenger mini-bus will travel the 22-mile, hour-and-20-minute loop seven times a day Monday through Friday. It will begin at the East Rowan Library in Rockwell at 6:55 a.m., stopping at Rockwell’s Food Lion, the Saleeby Fisher YMCA, Faith Baptist Church, Salisbury Bus Station, Rowan County Health Department and Department of Social Services and Fred’s Department Store and the Brinkley Center in Granite Quarry. The route will end each day at Faith Baptist Church at 6:12 p.m.
Passengers can ride East Rowan Express for $1. Transfers between the Concord-Kannapolis RIDER Transit System and the Salisbury Transit System are free. Children under 5 years old ride free, but all children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
“We are very pleased to be able to offer this service to the citizens of East Rowan,” says Clyde Fahnestock, director of Rowan Transit. “This will allow people to travel all over the county for a nominal fee. The service is for all ages, of course, but it may be of special interest to seniors who don’t want to ask their children to get off work to take them places.”
Another group who will especially benefit from this is the people who travel to the Rowan Departments of Health and Social Services. “Individuals visiting these departments and even employees are welcome to take the Express Service,” he says. “Parking the car and riding the bus will not only save money but should also help to minimize some of the parking concerns at these busy offices.”
Fahnestock points out that taking the shuttle also helps prevent air pollution because it takes cars off the road that would be needed to transport individuals. “Rowan County has a real problem with air pollution, so the more car exhaust we can prevent, the healthier we will be,” he says.
Rural General Public Funds from the state will pay 90 percent of the operating costs for East Rowan Express. The county will pay for the remaining 10 percent. An additional $101,000 grant from the N.C. Public Transportation Division will cover the cost of a vehicle, four bus-stop shelters and eight benches. In addition, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds will allow Rowan Transit to install bike racks on the front of two vehicles so passengers who ride bicycles can carry their bikes with them on the route.
East Rowan Express expands the current Rowan Individual Transportation Assistance (RITA) service, which is for passengers with disabilities and those who cannot walk to the bus stop. This door-to-door service will continue to run two days a week in southern and eastern Rowan. RITA grants require Rowan Transit to obtain basic profile enrollment data on RITA passengers, and individuals must call the dispatch office to make reservations. The general public fare is $3 per day for those under 60. Special grants for transporting people over 60 cover operating costs for this group, but contributions are accepted.
For additional information, call 704.216.8888 or visit www.rowantransit.com.