Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – GOJO, Jonesboro’s public transit service, has added two new paratransit vans to its fleet with new safety upgrades.
GOJO received the first van a few weeks ago and the second just a few days ago. New features on the vans include a winch, allowing an object such as a wheelchair to be pulled into the vehicle without requiring as much effort from the drivers.
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The vans also feature low floors and a pull out ramp that is curb height, as well as new tools inside to secure wheelchairs while the van is in motion.
“It takes out some operator error when you’re hooking up a wheelchair,” GOJO paratransit coordinator Sharon Lewis said of the vans’ safety features. “There’s some feature to it that helps the operator make sure that that wheelchair is more secure in the vehicle, so that keeps our clients safer.”
GOJO is still waiting for the necessary tagging and licensing for the vehicles, as well as internal equipment such as road monitoring cameras, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) cameras, and GPS tracking to be installed before these vans officially hit the road. Stephen Oakes, transit options supervisor at GOJO, said the first van should “be in use soon,” with the second one to quickly follow.
“We’re just really happy to have them,” Oakes said. “We’re very happy that we can expand our service a little bit, serve more of Jonesboro (as) safely as possible.”
These vans will serve as an expansion of GOJO’s paratransit fleet, with funding coming from federal matching grants. The vans have nine seats for passengers and enough space for two wheelchairs, as well as some room for any standing riders.
According to Lewis, GOJO’s paratransit services see anywhere from 66 to 90 riders daily, with that number fluctuating based on the day of the week. While all of GOJO’s vehicles are ADA-compliant, the paratransit service is for riders who cannot use the service’s fixed route vehicles due to a functional mobility limitation. The paratransit service acts more as a “door to door” service for its riders, Lewis added.
Oakes said there will be plans for adding more vehicles to GOJO’s fleet, but right now, the vans should help the transit service “keep up with where the city wants us to be right now.” City leaders have established Destination 100K, a plan to improve city infrastructure and resources as Jonesboro’s population nears 100,000.
“There are always plans to expand. Just like the city of Jonesboro is constantly growing, our service to the customers and the people of Jonesboro is trying to keep up with it, and they’re growing faster than we can,” Oakes said. “We’re hoping that we can show the city with these innovations that we’re investing in, that we can really serve the way that they want us to serve.”
Those needing to apply for paratransit service, contact GOJO at 870-935-5387 or gojo@jonesboroar.gov. Click here for more information about the service.
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