Shuttle Service to begin in Atascosa County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alamo Regional Transit (ART) Shuttle Service to begin in Atascosa County

JOURDANTON [October 30, 2009] – The Alamo Area Council of Governments’ (AACOG) Alamo Regional Transit (ART) will be expanding transportation services to the residents of Jourdanton, Pleasanton, and Poteet with the introduction of a Commuter Shuttle Service linking these cities to San Antonio’s Palo Alto College and the VIA Transit Center near IH-35 and South Zarzamora. The shuttle is proposed to run Monday through Friday and will make pick up stops in the morning in Pleasanton, Jourdanton, and Poteet before heading to the Madla Transit Station and Palo Alto College. Riders will be dropped off early enough to make transfers into VIA’s system which goes throughout San Antonio and in plenty of time to get to classes on the Palo Alto Campus or to work locations nearby. The shuttle will return to San Antonio to pick up passengers and return them home to Atascosa County at mid-day and in the late afternoon/early evening. Schedules with exact pick up locations and times will be available soon. The fare for a trip into San Antonio on this shuttle is $5.00 per person each way.

Primary funding for the Atascosa Commuter Shuttle has been provided by a grant through the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) program. This program is designed to provide transportation services for low to moderate income individuals needing to get to places of employment, training or continuing their education. JARC qualified riders will be eligible to ride the Atascosa Commuter Shuttle for half-fare.

Public Transit is an economical alternative to driving alone and offers many time and money saving advantages as well. Passengers can spend their commute time reading, checking email, catching up with friends, preparing for the day, or just taking some time to relax. All residents of Atascosa County who are interested in learning more about this new service are encouraged to attend one of three Community Awareness Meetings scheduled in the next two weeks from 5:30p.m. to 6:30p.m. :

--Workforce Solutions Alamo Center - 206 North Smith Street, Pleasanton, TX – Thursday November 5, 2009

--Poteet High School Cafeteria - 1020 FM 1470, Poteet, TX – Tuesday November 10, 2009

--Atascosa County Courthouse - #1 Courthouse Circle Drive, Jourdanton, TX – Thursday November 12, 2009

For more information, contact René Chadick, Economic Development Specialist – Transportation, AACOG at (210) 362-5286.