Ride Service Back On The Road

The wheels on the bus are again going round and round Queens.

Queens County Transit began accepting passengers Monday.

The service focuses on seniors and low-income households, providing rides to clients to help get them around the community.

Manager Tammy LeBlanc says COVID-19 forced Queens County Transit to rethink how they would serve their riders.

Instead of transporting people, they began bringing pharmaceuticals and groceries to their clients.

“People were putting in their grocery orders, and we were still doing the deliveries and it was free of charge. We’d just drop them on the doorstep and leave. But, we continued to help as much as we could.”

Now that services are opening up, LeBlanc says people are looking to get out to their appointments.

Transit staff have been reaching out to clients to let them know they are again taking riders.

Leblanc says part of that conversation is filling people in on the precautions the company and riders must take to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“Cleaning the vehicles prior to and after each client. The clients are to wear masks. If they don’t have their own, we will provide you one. They’re to sit on the passenger side of the vehicle as far back as possible and proper hand hygiene is absolutely necessary.”

LeBlanc says anyone who requires an assistant to get around will be permitted to travel with them in the transit vehicle, but otherwise, ride-sharing will not be allowed.

And people who are sick will be asked not to travel.

Queens County Transit began in 2018 through the efforts of the Queens Care Society.

Since that time, the y’ve provided rides to doctor’s appointments, grocery and other shopping trips, as well as a weekly run for the food bank, delivering supplies to Caledonia.

The number of people using the service has grown to 500 clients each month.

That total dropped off sharply over the past three months to just 50 deliveries or 10 percent of their normal workload.

LeBlanc says the service is not in danger of shutting down.

She says Queens County Transit receives amazing support from not only the community, but from the Region of Queens and the provincial government, in particular.

“The provincial government has really vamped up and are helping us wherever we need. They’re working with us on an individual basis. They want to ensure that rural transit survives.”

LeBlanc says the cost of a trip varies on the distance, the destination and the client’s ability to pay.

And there are many subsidies available to help offset the price of transportation.

LeBlanc says in addition to their paid drivers operating the QCT branded vehicles, they have two volunteer drivers in Liverpool, two in Greenfield and one in Caledonia.

She says Queens County Transit is always looking for more volunteers willing to help provide transportation, especially in some of the more ‘out of the way’ locations in Queens.

Now that some of the restrictions have been eased, LeBlanc says everyone is looking forward to reconnecting with their clients.

“The staff here are wonderful. They do go above and beyond in helping and we really build relationships with our passengers. We’re doing our best to get them where they need to go.”

To contact Queens County Transit for a ride, or to volunteer, call 902-356-2670 or click here to go to their webpage.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson