GoBus Announces Highest Regional Ridership Since 2014 and Receipt of New Grant Funding Award
Oct 14, 2019
GOBUS
ETCOG’s rural transportation system, GoBus, announces rapid growth of regional ridership. GoBus provided a total of 105,257 trips for Fiscal Year 2019 from September 1st through August 31st. This is the agency’s highest ridership since 2014 credited to a fare reduction in 2018 as well as new leadership’s emphasis on increasing trip coordination.
GoBus is a rural transportation service providing over 105,000 trips annually to our 14-county region in East Texas. GoBus strives to deliver safe, reliable, and friendly rural transportation services to the community through an easy reservation process and inexpensive fare. GoBus demand response transit service provides access to jobs, medical appointments, social services, shopping or any other destination requested.
GoBus leaders recently attended the Special Districts Summit hosted by AT&T and Government Technology in Houston, Texas, offering professional development providing tools, actionable plans and a professional network to help ensure the organization is “future ready.” At the summit, GoBus was awarded a Technology Innovation Award for recently implementing its new fare system with the use of Square credit card processing to provide a more dynamic and efficient way to collect fares from passengers. (Pictured: Melissa Cure, GoBus Business Development Manager)
New grant funding has also been awarded to GoBus for service expansion. The Edwin A. Blue and Janice Owen Miller Charitable Fund awarded $10,000 to expand service in Henderson County for seniors’ trips into Tyler. This county has seen a considerable amount of growth in trips and is in our top three counties achieving the highest ridership. An additional $5,000 was granted by an anonymous foundation to increase service for seniors and persons with disabilities in areas where GoBus is experiencing an increase in demand.
“We are doing our best to keep rural east Texas transportation services up to date with technology while providing all the options and services our passengers expect,” said Vince Huerta, ETCOG’s Director of Transportation. “We hope to have more opportunities in the future to continue altering GoBus services for the better. I am really proud of staff being open to new ideas and innovations and making them happen!”
GoBus provides daily local service within Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Harrison, Henderson, Marion, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood Counties and the non-urbanized areas of Gregg and Smith Counties. Trips from the rural areas into the urbanized areas of Longview or Tyler are offered on Tuesdays & Thursdays. GoBus trips are booked by calling 800-590-3371 to speak with our dispatch office.
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The East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) will host a Hiring Event on Tuesday, May 14th, for part-time and PRN (as-needed) GoBus Operator positions. GoBus is a convenient and reliable service that spans 14 counties in the rural areas of East Texas.
GoBus is a convenient and reliable service that spans 14 counties in the rural areas of East Texas. Our network provides transportation solutions, bridging the gap between urban areas and rural living to ensure individuals in remote areas have access to transportation. Whether you need a ride to the grocery store, doctor's appointment, friend's house, or work, we are your transportation provider! Partnering with Longview Transit, GoBus complements existing services and expands accessibility. Within the Longview area, our services extend 3/4 mile off the Longview Transit route , offering commuters a seamless connection to their destinations. This collaborative effort enhances mobility for residents, allowing them to navigate the city and its neighboring cities with ease. As part of this partnership, GoBus also serves Gladewater, Hallsville, and Lakeport. Individuals in these locations can ride within each city or to and from Longview on specific days. Book your trip in 3 easy steps: Know where and when you want to travel. 24-hour advanced notice is required. Know the addresses of your destinations when you call. Call our office to schedule your trip. All vehicles are ADA accessible and provide curb-to-curb service: GoBus will pick you up at your residence and take you to the destination of your choice. Call 903-215-8870 when you are ready for your return trip.
The East Texas Council of Governments' rural transit system, GoBus , is proud to be a recipient of the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) annual AdWheel awards, which recognize excellence in marketing and outreach efforts by transit providers nationwide. The APTA AdWheel Awards fosters creativity and innovation within the public transportation industry, highlighting best marketing practices that contribute to the betterment of public transportation. The selection process involves evaluations by industry experts for creativity, impact, community engagement, and overall effectiveness. “I am proud of our Communications, Human Resources, and Transportation teams for collaborating effectively to address an ongoing staffing need within our agency. To receive national recognition for these efforts means a lot to me and all of us here at ETCOG!” said ETCOG Executive Director David Cleveland. ETCOG received the award in the Special Event subcategory for the Best Marketing and Communications on Workforce Development. The award acknowledges team effort in hosting a one-day hiring fair dedicated to GoBus Operator positions. The event featured comprehensive activities, including on-site interviews, video highlights, and bus tours, providing prospective candidates with a glimpse of transit operations and a seamless hiring process for human resources. This recognition celebrates our commitment to workforce development and highlights the success of ETCOG’s strategic marketing and communication initiatives in attracting top talent. "We are honored to receive this prestigious APTA award,” said ETCOG Communications Director Lindsay Vanderbilt.” This recognition is a reflection of the dedication and creativity of our team and the collaboration across our agency to solve transportation hiring challenges.” A member of the ETCOG communications team joined other award recipients and marketing experts to share details on their award-winning campaigns and projects at the APTA Marketing Workshop held February 12-14, 2043, in New Orleans, Louisiana. APTA is a nonprofit international association of over 1,500 public and private sector member organizations and is the only association in North America that represents all modes of public transportation, including bus, paratransit, light rail, commuter rail, subways, waterborne services, and intercity and high-speed passenger rail.
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