October 16 was the first date that Perham residents had a new public transportation system available to them. Transit Alternatives has extended their services to include the city of Perham.
Five years ago, the Department of Transportation contacted Productive Alternatives to ask about Otter Tail County beginning a public transit system. Otter Tail was one of the last counties in the state not offering public transportation.
After applying for a grant last year and receiving funds to begin this project, the first public transportation system was started up in Fergus Falls in the beginning of August. On October 9, a system was set up in Pelican Rapids and October 16 will mark the first route through Perham.
The transit alternative will be nicknamed "The Otter Express." For a $1 fare, riders will be able to catch a ride to any destination within the Perham city limits. The $1 fee is one-way, so a round trip would end up costing $2.
Buses for the program were provided by Perham Memorial Hospital and Productive Alternatives, Inc. The city of Perham will have two busses, with the entire Otter Tail County system eventually having 12 busses. All busses are handicap accessible and are equipped to provide service to passengers with three or four wheeled mobility aids.
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Drivers are trained in defensive driving, CPR, First Aid, and Passenger Assistance. They will be able to help passengers with small packages and provide curb to curb service.
While this public transportation service tends to be primarily used by the elderly and the disabled, it is available to all people in Otter Tail County for the $1 fare. Passengers are asked to have correct change, because drivers will not have cash to make change.
"We are finding that we are serving everybody in the Fergus Falls area," said Administrative Transit Coordinator Daryn Toso. "Some people are using the busses to get to work, and students have even used them to get to school."
The routes formerly covered by the bus from Perham Memorial Hospital will now be a part of the public transportation program. The same driver will be handling the routes, but they will now be open to the general public as well. Many area seniors used this service to get to the senior center.
No other specific routes are planned in Perham. As of now, all other routes will depend on calls received. Transit Alternatives requests that riders contact them two days in advance of when they would like to arrange a ride. By 5 p.m., they establish the routes for the next day. It is still possible, however, that last minute requests may be filled.
Transit Alternatives will be including the city of Parkers Prairie within the next month. Eventually, they would like to cover the entire county. "We've gotten a lot of positive responses," said Toso in regard to the program in Fergus Falls. "Ridership has grown a lot faster than we expected. This morning, with the snow, the phones were ringing off the hook."
To schedule a ride, contact Transit Alternatives at their toll free number: 866-998-3002. Office hours are Monday - Friday 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. and pick-up hours are Monday - Friday 7:15 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.
