PATS Odds and Ends for May

PATS is preparing to turn the corner into the next fiscal year with some rough roads ahead. The search for a new General Manager continues, and it’s hoped the PATS Board of Directors can find the right person for the job soon.

The challenges will be great. The loss of the Region One Medicaid Transportation Brokerage is a huge financial hit, along with a decrease in Federal Transit Administration funding, and the cost of fuel, which has spiraled up to record levels.

All this comes at a time when our riders need us more than ever to help them survive financially during these tough economic times. Fixed route ridership continues to go up, along with the price of gasoline.

We know there will be many sacrifices ahead for all of us, but are dedicated to providing as much service as we can, with what resources we have. Helping others has been our job from the beginning, and we’ll continue to do just that.

PATS is asking riders to please understand, that while we're committed to providing as much service as possible, some cutbacks and adjustments to services may be unavoidable.

Now to some happier news and happenings as of late:

Girl Scout Troop 678 from Metropolis, Illinois learns about safe driving techniques aboard the Mobile Driver Training Simulator. Simulator Training Supervisor Delbert Steele tells the Girl Scouts about the good and bad driving habits they might see while their parents are behind the wheel. The Girl Scout on the far right is Kristin Foster, daughter of Simulator Trainer Preston Foster.

KFVS-12’s Wes Wallace reported on PATS’ increased bus ridership due to high gas prices, and how so many riders were saving money by taking the bus to work and elsewhere. KFVS' report featured riders who are using the bus to combat high gasoline prices. PATS bus ridership has been up around 2,000 per month since last summer, when gasoline prices began rising again.

Mass Transit Magazine featured an article about the PATS Mobile Driver Simulator and how its use as part of PATS safety training program has dramatically cut the accident rate among PATS drivers. After the first full year of SImulator training, PATS drivers cut their preventable accident rate by 64% and the total accident rate by 44%.

After touring the Simulator, the Missouri Department of Transportation approved Simulator training for drivers in the Show Me state!

The final tally is in, and this year PATS carried a record 35,000 Quilters during the American Quilters Society Show at Paducah, April 22-26 with PATS AQS Quilt Show Shuttle Service. A special thanks to all PATS employees who pitched in to make this the most successful AQS transportation ever!

PATS next meeting involving the Mobility Services for All Americans Initiative is set for Tuesday, June 17th at the Purchase Area Development District office in Mayfield, Kentucky at 10 AM. The special guest will be Yehuda Gross of the Federal Transit Administration's Intelligent Transportation System's Joint Program Office. Come out and learn how PATS plans to use trechnology to make transportation easier and more accessible for everybody, including those who may not know they're eligible for transportation assistance from the dozens of Federal programs.