May 31 is final day for TRAC bus
It’s been more than 30 years, but on May 31, the city’s TRAC bus program will no longer exist. It will be replaced by a new, metro-wide dial-a-ride system called Transit Link.
It’s been more than 30 years, but on May 31, the city’s TRAC bus program will no longer exist. It will be replaced by a new, metro-wide dial-a-ride system called Transit Link.
Citing the loss of funding from the Metropolitan Council, the Hastings City Council voted Monday night to eliminate the TRAC program effective May 31.
“It’s with a heavy heart that I make this motion,” Council Member Danna Elling Schultz said.
Elling Schultz, a member of the council’s Transit Committee, said the committee explored several options for keeping some form of TRAC in operation, but budgetary constraints were too much to overcome.
“We just couldn’t make it work because of a basic lack of funding,” Elling Schultz said.
Transit Link, the Met Council’s new dial-a-ride program, will be implemented in Dakota County in early May, so there will be some overlap as people get used to the new system.
Mayor Paul Hicks said the TRAC program has been a valued part of the community, and he praised the TRAC drivers for offering dependable and personal service to TRAC riders.
The city currently employs three full-time, two part-time and one backup TRAC driver. Once the service provider for Dakota County’s Transit Link is announced, the city will try to help the drivers make connections with the company to see about possible employment.
Transit Link will work in largely the same way TRAC works, but will come with some changes to things like the cost, hours of operation and services offered. Click on the attached PDF to see a comparison of the two programs.
Tags: local news, local government, news, trac, hastings
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