191,000 miles in one year

the Catoosa County service is free to residents who qualify for rides.

Warren, who also serves with the Tennessee National Guard as assistant operations officer for a battalion, has been director of the service for only three months, but he’s already enthusiastic about the value it adds to people’s lives. “There are a lot of people who have no car or can’t drive for health reasons. They often have no family they can depend on, and we have this little bus service that can so positively affect their lives.”

All Trans-Aid buses are equipped with lifts for wheelchairs. Drivers are trained in passenger service and safety by the Georgia Department of Transportation and are also trained in CPR.

“Every driver has a radio so they can communicate with us here at the office at any time, and the buses are equipped with GPS, so we always know where they are,” says Warren. “When someone is done with an appointment, we can see which bus is closest to them and radio them to pick up that person.”

Brenda Felder has worked as the scheduler and dispatcher for TransAid for over 30 years. She said it was originally started by Jack Rowan as a way to get meals to shut-ins and has grown from there.

“We used to take a group of seniors to nursing homes where they would perform for the residents,” says Felder. “There was one lady who dressed up like Minnie Pearl, including the hat with the tag. One person would play the piano and others would play tambourines, rubboards and triangles, and they’d sing.” Felder says that currently their oldest rider is 102 years old.

“The drivers are really great,” says Warren. “They get to know people and worry about them. They know about their families and their problems.”

Catoosa County Trans-Aid is funded about evenly by a federal grant and the county government, with a small amount of funding coming from other sources.

Besides getting residents to appointments and activities within the county, Trans-Aid also transports people to appointments at Erlanger, Parkridge and Memorial hospitals.

Appointments to ride the Trans-Aid buses need to be made in advance, preferably a week ahead of time, but residents can call to see if space is available any time. The service runs MondayFriday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For more information and for Catoosa County TransAid policies, Catoosa residents can call 706937-8627 or visit www. catoosa.com/transit online.