Houston County, GA. – Armando Vias, a blind community advocate and representing as the chair of the Houston County Democratic Committee – Disability Caucus and the Chair of the Young Democrats of Georgia – Disability Caucus, has released the following statement after leaders in Houston County are starting to explore ways to bring public transportation.
While he’s happy that they’re finally exploring ways to bring public transportation, it’ll take years to implement, meaning that people with disabilities and for those who don’t have a reliable vehicle will have to wait a little bit longer to finally get accessible, affordable, and reliable public transportation.
As the chair of the Houston County Disability Caucus, our top priority is to make sure that Houston County has accessible, affordable, and reliable public transportation.
Having accessible, affordable, and reliable public transportation will help our citizens who don’t have a vehicle or don’t drive go to doctors appointments for their healthcare needs, dine and shop at our locally owned businesses, and to be out in the local community like everyone else to make new connections and bond with one another. This will also help citizens get to and from their current jobs. It’ll even boost the local economy, bringing more foot traffic to businesses.
At the moment, citizens who don’t drive or don’t have a vehicle will have to pay high costs of ride-sharing options, such as Uber/Lyft unless they have a support system such as friends or a partner who can drive them around. This is especially if they want to go to Macon or even across town to attend activities in the community or even go to work.
While I agree with introducing micro-transit options, these options must include the ability to schedule a ride in advance via a phone app instead of having to call into a dispatch center to schedule. That way, people who are shy or don’t want to call on the phone will be able to enter their destination privately and independently. Also, they can pay their fare via their credit card or mobile wallet.
I’ll continue to reach out to all leaders in Houston County, including the cities of Byron, Centerville, Perry, and Warner Robins. We need public transportation now, and I’m committed to making it happen for all citizens.