A new vehicle joined the North Oakland Transportation Authority’s (NOTA) fleet of five vans last Wednesday and it’s unlike anything the organization currently has on the road.
A 21-foot Community Transit Bus featuring 11 passenger seats, two wheelchair lock-downs and an electronic wheelchair lift is the new “flagship of the NOTA fleet,” according to authority Director Dan Shriner.
“We are very excited about this new vehicle and what it will mean to the communities and riders we serve,” he said. “A wonderful asset like this really enhances the program.”
Shriner said the $57,513 minibus was obtained through the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) using federal grants under the Special Service Operating Assistance Program and the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Program.
NOTA’s previous director, Karen Koski, had filled out the necessary grant applications.
“The grants paid 100 percent of the cost,” he said, adding that Oakland County Commissioner Larry Obrecht was “instrumental” in obtaining the grants by working with U.S. representatives Joe Knollenberg, Mike Rogers and Dale Kildee.
“Mr. Obrecht coordinated most everything” Shriner said. “Without him, we wouldn’t have gotten this bus. This is really a good, grass-roots example of taxpayer money coming back to directly serve the community.”
Shriner said he also has to give “a lot of credit” to SMART for handling the administrative paperwork associated with the grants, inspecting the bus when it arrived and putting the necessary lettering and logos on it.
The additional vehicle will “really enable (NOTA) to expand our services so that we can meet the needs of the current ridership, which is at or above capacity,” Shriner said.
NOTA presently has “in excess of 300 registered riders” and transported 19,714 passengers last year, the director noted.
“This new bus will help us try to clear up the waiting list of qualified riders, which just keeps growing,” he said.
NOTA provides free transportation to senior citizens, the mentally and physically disabled and welfare-to-work participants who reside in Oxford Township and Village, Addison Township and Leonard and Orion Township and Lake Orion.
In addition to helping handle NOTA’s increasing ridership, Shriner said the new bus’ individual seating ? as opposed to the vans’ bench seating ? will offer riders “more foot and elbow room.”
“It’s just a more comfortable vehicle. It’s a lot roomier,” he said.
Because the new bus has a diesel engine rather than a gas engine like the vans, Shriner said it will get “better mileage” and have lower maintenance costs, all of which “saves taxpayer money.”
He said the “life expectancy” of the bus is also much higher than that of NOTA’s vans.
“We should be able to get 300,000 to 400,000 miles out of this bus,” he said. “The life expectancy of the vans is between 150,000 and 200,000 miles.”
Although passenger seat belts are not legally required in the new vehicle because it’s a bus, Shriner said he’s looking into the possibility of installing them to further enhance rider safety.
“The safety of NOTA’s passengers is paramount to me and it will remain a top priority as long as I’m director,” he said.
Before the new bus hits the road on or before Feb. 1, Shriner said NOTA logos must first be placed on it.
The bus will be unveiled to the residents and local officials at a special public presentation sometime within the next few weeks at the Orion Senior Center in downtown Lake Orion.
Shriner said NOTA will be applying for a federal grant for another bus before a Feb. 1 deadline.
If awarded the grant, NOTA will either receive another 21-foot bus or a 24-foot minibus, featuring 15 passenger seats and two wheelchair lock-downs.
“This is an exciting time for NOTA,” Shriner said.
For more information about NOTA and its services call (248) 236-9273 (administrative office) or (248) 628-7900 (dispatch center).