By Patricia Beech-
FRS Transportation, the non-profit organization that provides transportation for Adams and Highland County residents to medical/counseling appointments and job/educational training, announced earlier this month the launch of their new program, Adams Reduced Transportation Services (ARTS).
The reduced fare program will offer transportation within the village of West Union for basic life needs such as shopping, pharmacy, medical appointments, and banking.
This service is also available for those living within 5-10 miles of the center of the village of West Union. In addition, the service will offer transportation for those living within the village of West Union to and from the Adams County Regional Medical Center area campus, which includes the hospital, Cancer Center, Dialysis Center, Monarch Meadows, and Health Source of Stern Drive.
According to Melody Elliot, Director of FRS, the program is meant to serve people who need transportation for medical and basic life needs.
“This program serves those who have no other available transportation services,” she said. “We serve our elderly population who no longer drive, our disabled population who cannot drive, and those without a driver’s license that still want to have some measure of independence.”
The reduced fare program is available Monday through Friday from 5 a.m.- to 8 p.m. Anyone interested in using the service must purchase an ARTS fare card. Prices for the fare card range from $20 to $35, with the lowest fare costing some riders only $2.
Each card is good for five to 10 one way trips within the various mileage parameters.
Transportation services must be scheduled 24 hours or more in advance during FRS Transportation’ business hours from 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information about ARTS or to schedule a ride, contact FRS Transportation at (937) 779-3212.
Transportation Director for the Adams County Senior Center, Emily Holbrook praised the transportation program.
“It’s a great service for those located inside the village of West Union,” Holbrook said. “Several of our Senior Center clients, as well as ABCAP clients, use FRS transportation regularly.”
Holbrook said the Senior Center also offers transportation services through their Private Pay program. “We charge a flat rate – $15 for a round trip in West Union, and $25 a round trip within the county,” she said. “Each step up costs a little more with Cincinnati being the furthest we go for $75 a round trip.”
According to the FRS website, funding for the ARTS Program is provided by the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Office of Transit through the 5310 Specialized Transportation Program and by FRS Transportation.
FRS Transportation has been the Dispatch Center for the Highland Area Rural Transportation System (HARTS) since January 2001. It is a non-profit organization that provides transportation for Highland County residents to medical/counseling appointments and job/educational training in Highland County and the surrounding area of Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Chillicothe and Portsmouth.
This transportation is provided through grant funding received through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) – Office of Transit – Coordination Program and ODOT’s Specialized Transportation Program, JARC Grant for employment transportation and training and New Freedom Grant for the physically disabled.
FRS Transportation also carries contractual agreements with the Highland County Department of Job and Family Services, the Highland County Commissioners, Area Agency on Aging, Highland County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Remedi SeniorCare and Heartland Healthcare Services as well as other contractual agreements with other local agencies and the HARTS Fare Program.
