Commissioners take bus ride, talk transportation with JTA

Clay County Commissioners, County Manager Howard Wanamaker and Jacksonville Transportation Authority leaders, rode through the county on one of JTA’s Clay Community Transportation buses on Monday, Nov. 14.

The county said in a social media post that the event’s goal was for commissioners to get a first-hand look at the transportation options in the community and talk about transportation opportunities for Clay residents.

After the tour, Commissioner Mike Cella said JTA officials talked to commissioners about the state of public transportation in Clay County and how the county and JTA could work together in the future.

Cella added that he was impressed with JTA’s flex service, which allows riders within three-quarters of a mile of any Clay route to request a pickup at their specific location at the cost of a $1 deviation fee.

“So, they’ll actually pick you up from your home if you call and make a reservation the day before,” Cella said. “I was sort of skeptical about that, but they indicated they just did a mailing to all the people that were within three-quarters of a mile, on either side of the routes to determine whether they could spike the usage by telling people that this service is available, and ridership went up 8% the month of October right after they notified all these folks. So far this month, it’s up 14%.”

Cella added that he supports public transportation as long as the public uses the service.

The commissioner added that JTA is exploring additional services for the county, including an Uber-like service for the transportation disadvantaged.

Commissioner Jim Renninger added that JTA is repositioning itself into more of a regional agency, extending its reach beyond Jacksonville. He added that he welcomes the agency’s help with Clay’s emerging transportation issues.

“I live in Orange Park,” Renninger said. “We’ve developed Highway 17 to its maximum extent, and Clay County’s still growing. There will be more and more cars trying to get to Jacksonville unless we do something with public transportation, so that’s why we’re partnering with JTA and trying to innovate.”

Renninger added that he will be meeting with JTA officials soon about creating a transportation hub in the Wells Road area to increase the convenience of public transportation in Orange Park.