Possible breakthrough emerges in talks on continuing transportation for elderly, disabled

Oct. 15—A potential solution surfaced Thursday in a long-running quandary over how to sustain a door-to-door transportation service for local elderly residents and people with disabilities.

People familiar with the proposal said it calls for the Golden Empire Transit District, better known as GET, to take over operation of the so-called CTSA service run for the last 23 years by the North of the River Recreation and Park District.

Negotiations continue, and boards of both organizations would have to approve the arrangement, which tentatively would have GET taking over operation of the service on July 1.

If the two organizations can reach a deal, it would come as a big relief to individuals who use the CTSA service and the organizations that serve them.

"We've been praying for this," said Catherine Waldon, president and executive director of Independence Through GRACE Foundation, a Bakersfield day program designed to enrich the lives of people with disabilities; about half its participants rely on the CTSA service. "If it's the same service that we're getting right now, with door-to-door service, I think that's wonderful."

NOR's board of directors was scheduled to make a decision Monday on whether to end the service Dec. 31 because, according to staff, it is unable to keep up with increased demand among riders. But on Thursday the item was removed from Monday's agenda because of the potential breakthrough in talks with GET.

NOR Marketing Director Lisa Plank said it was unclear how long negotiations might take but that the district's board might be asked to vote on the proposal by the end of this year.

GET's chief executive, Karen King, did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

CTSA stands for Consolidated Transportation Services Agency. Participants whose applications are approved call the system's dispatch office to arrange a ride any weekday to destinations within and outside Oildale, such as a local doctor's office, shopping center or recreational center.

Tickets cost $2 each way, though Plank noted it's anticipated that fares may need to be increased to meet state requirements that at least 10 percent of its costs be covered by passengers. Fee collection currently covers just 4 percent.

Eligibility is limited to people 60 years and older, people with a permanent disability impeding their ability to use other transportation, those with a permanent disability requiring use of a wheelchair or people unable to use a fixed-route bus.

Money for the program comes from sources including local property taxes routed through the Kern Council of Governments. Its budget this fiscal year is about $1.1 million, and that covers five full-time employees and 14 part-time employees operating a fleet of 23 vehicles.

Prior to the pandemic, the CTSA system handled up to 900 clients per year taking an average of about 4,000 rides per month. Since early 2020, it's down to about 600 to 700 clients per year taking about 2,500 trips per month.

Plank said NOR has struggled to sustain the service because of increasing costs and a growing workload.

"We've seen a significant increase in the need and we can only provide so much based on drivers and vehicles and the funding we receive through Kern COG to meet that need," she said.

Kern COG Executive Director Ahron Hakimi said NOR and GET had been in talks for a little more than a year. Meanwhile, the council of governments has reached out to a variety of local organizations about possibly taking over the service. A request for proposals issued by the organization and extended at least twice received no responses.

He said the tentative arrangement reached Thursday "seems like a very good fit to me," but quickly emphasized it won't happen unless NOR's and GET's boards sign off on it.

Word of a possible breakthrough sounded encouraging to Chris Fendrick, president of the Greater Bakersfield Council of the Blind. He takes the service five times per week to his teaching job. It saves him at least three hours that he would otherwise have to spend every weekday on a fixed-route service.

He said GET might well be the right organization to take over the service from NOR.

"Hopefully, Golden Empire Transit — and it sounds like it — will solve this for us," he said.

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