Transit District gets $1M grant for pandemic costs

MILFORD — The Milford Transit District has held up through the COVID-19 pandemic, so much so that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration has awarded it a $1 million grant as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

“The state received an apportionment and split the funds up among the transit agencies,” said MTD Executive Director Henry Jadach. “We applied for funds to cover a variety of things: the uncollected fares during the pandemic, pay for operating expenses related to the pandemic, a balance we had to pay for four new 35-foot buses and for ongoing operating expenses.

“All of us do daily reports, listing monies that were lost, revenues that were lost, expenses that were incurred and project it out from there,” he said.

The FTA is allocating $22.7 billion to large and small urban areas and $2.2 billion to rural areas. Funding was made available to support capital, operating, and other expenses generally eligible under those programs to prevent, prepare for and respond to COVID-19.

Milford’s fleet of 12 ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) vans and 9 fixture coaches haven’t stopped running out of its location at 259 Research Drive.

“Our fixture services, the routes and hours all remained the same throughout the pandemic, a decision made by the state Department of Transportation,” said Jadach, a 35-year veteran with the MTD. “The essential workers, they needed a way to get to work if they didn’t have other transportation. We are probably doing 60 to 65 percent on fixtures that we did before the pandemic. It has been growing.”

Jadach considers his drivers high on the list of essential workers.

“They are first responders; they’ve done a heck of a job,” he said. “We’re very proud of them and provided as much PPE (personal protective equipment) as possible, erected the driver barriers, a plastic barrier. We still aren’t collecting fares. People

come through the back door and seating is such that it is safe for everyone. When we do begin to collect fares again, the barrier will be in place to protect everyone.”

The MTD’s work through the pandemic stands apart. “We’ve been through all the hurricanes since Gloria (1985) and many blizzards,” Jadach said. “But those things had a beginning and an end. This is ongoing.”

The Milford Transit District was created in 1977. It also operates a door-to-door service for persons with disabilities and for those 60 and over.

Ensuring transportation systems

“This historic $25 billion in grant funding will ensure our nation’s public transportation systems can continue to provide services to the millions of Americans who continue to depend on them,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

“We know many of our nation’s public transportation systems are facing extraordinary challenges and these funds will go a long way to assisting our transit industry partners in battling COVID-19,” said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. “These federal funds will support operating assistance to transit agencies of all sizes providing essential travel and supporting transit workers across the country who are unable to work because of the public health emergency.”