The Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority, CIRTA, officially launched a new website, 327Ride.net, on Friday. The goal of the site is to aid those without personal transportation, namely the elderly, veterans, people with disabilities and those receiving medical treatments, in getting across county lines to appointments.
Jen Schmits Thomas of JTPR said the new site is an information resource based on need of an aging population.
“It needed to exist,” Thomas said. “It’s all of the information in one place.”
327Ride consolidates information regarding different public transportation services into one spot, making it easier for passengers to see if they qualify to use the services and also the route that will take them where they need to go.
Passengers or social service providers can go onto the website or call 317-327-7433 or 855-292-7433, enter their destination and see results including servers that match their needs. From there, they can contact specific providers and arrange pickups and drop-offs.
Participating counties have varied forms of public transportation, from fixed-route and connectors to on-demand services, such as those in Morgan County, and those specifically for particular users, such as cancer patients. Most of these options are limited to one county, making travel between multiples difficult.
“People who drive cars rarely think about crossing a county line, but those who rely on public transportation think about it all the time,” said Patricia Castañeda, CIRTA mobility manager.
Castañeda said the site will make connecting people to providers easier by showing which services are available. She hopes to expand the site to more providers and passengers in what she referred to as a “three phase project.” The first phase included putting the plan together, the second was the actual launch of the site. The final phase will be improving upon the website and making it applicable to even more people.