Noting the value of Sunflower Diversified Service’s general transportation service to the county, the Barton County Commission Monday approved submitting a letter of support for the agency, which is applying for a Kansas Department of Transportation grant.
Sunflower has applied for the grant that would be used to continue the operation of its public transportation system, said SDS Executive Director Jon Prescott. Sunflower Transportation Coordinator Christina Jimenez said the funds will be used to purchase a new vehicle.
On the COVID-19 pandemic front, when the state shutdown went into effect March 31, the trolley in Hoisington and the Commission on Aging buses in Great Bend shut down their public transportation services. However, “we made a decision to stay in business and continue because there’s a lot of folks that depend on public transportation for medical appointments,” Prescott said of Sunflower’s bus service.
“I think it’s just kind of taken for granted sometimes what effect this transportation service has on the community,” he said. “It’s got a huge impact not only for community services, but also economic impact” because of money spent in Barton County.
And, Prescott said, KDOT decided that due to COVID 19 and the need for transportation, it would fund Sunflower’s bus program at 100% through June 30 of next year. “So, what we did was to start providing free rides.”
Sunflower normally charges $2 a ride. But, because of this windfall, they opted to pass that on to the riders “so there’s absolutely zero cost for someone to take advantage of the general public transportation and take a free ride, whether it’s to work or to the hospital or to doc or the grocery store or wherever,” he said.
Prescott said many misunderstand their service because they also serve the intellectually delayed and disabled. “They’re under the impression that the service is only for them and that’s not at all the case.”
Anyone can utilize the transportation service. “So we encourage people to take advantage,” he said.
Sunflower also serves Stafford County where the unemployment is pretty high, Prescott said. He met with city councils in St. John and Stafford, as well as the Stafford County Commission, which offered Sunflower $1,200.
The money is to help advertise the free rides and encourage Stafford County residents to consider jobs in Barton County, which has a labor shortage. They can get rides to work and back home.
“But we’re not getting any takers which has got me totally confused,” he said. “But we’re going to continue to fight that battle and offer that because I know we’ve got openings in this county.”
Last year, Sunflower provided 45,222 rides, totaling 208,706 miles. “That’s quite a bit,” Jimenez said.
“This year, we are going to probably exceed that,” she said. “We’re booked daily. We’re actually booked the rest of this week.”
This is due in large part to the rides they’re offering. “This is a great feeling, knowing that we are able to get everybody where they need to go, to dialysis appointments, doctor’s appointments, to work and everything else.”
They have adjusted some of the schedules to make sure that they’re providing the best transportation they can.
“I’m really pleased,” said Commissioner Jennifer Schartz. “I think it’s very telling of the kind of service that you’re providing, the kind of company that you are, that instead of pocketing the money and maybe saving it for another time that you’re redistributing that into community where it’s needed right now.”
On another front, “we were awarded a $100,000 (Kansas Department of Transportation) grant to build a new transportation facility that we would use to grow our transportation services, not only in Barton county but the five counties surrounding Barton,” Prescott said. “That is still in progress, but it’s really slow progress.”
With state officials working from their homes due to COVID-19, the process has bogged down, he said. “It is still moving. I keep checking and they keep telling me that we haven’t been forgotten and we’ve just got to be patient.”
