LANCASTER − Fairfield County officially took ownership of the Lancaster-Fairfield Public Transit system Monday making it an official county department.
“This is a significant milestone for our community," County Commissioner Steve Davis said in a statement. "Integrating Lancaster-Fairfield Public Transit into our county structure affirms our commitment to providing exceptional public transit services and meeting the transportation needs of our workforce and employers. This change will support economic development and enhance the quality of life in Fairfield County.”
Improving local transportation has been a goal of the commissioners for some time. Davis became an Uber driver to learn more about that company. But he said in the process he also learned about the transportation needs of local residents.
Here are LFPT statistics from last year:
- The service provided 128,489 passenger trips, which was an increase of 17,230 from 2022.
- Transit system vehicles drove 494,647 miles.
- The system had a 98% on-time performance rate, with 2,658 no shows. That averages out to eight no shows per day.
- The system denied service to 3,474 riders, or 11 per day.
Aaron Kennedy is the new LFPT director.
“With the support of Fairfield County Commissioners, we look forward to expanding our services, improving our infrastructure, and meeting the growing transportation needs in our community," he said.
In order to help with the transition, Fairfield County Board of Developmental Disabilities Superintendent David Uhl in February said his organization will donate $100,000 to the county. The money comes from an $890,000 grant Fairfield DD received.
"We want to support this effort and we're doing so by passing this along to you for accessible transportation purposes," Uhl said to the commissioners. "We're hoping that this will continue the great things that are happening with Lancaster-Fairfield Public Transit as we go forward in the future."
jbarron@gannett.com
740-681-4340
Twitter/X: @JeffDBarron
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