Many people understand the pride of new car ownership. Multiply that feeling by six and you’ll understand how Henderson County and Apple Country Public Transit staff feel about their new fleet of buses.
Henderson County invested in the community’s public transportation infrastructure by purchasing six new 17-passenger transit buses. The new buses run on compressed natural gas to support clean air quality and will replace several older high mileage transit vehicles that were plagued with high maintenance costs and intermittent service problems. The new buses will hit the road on February 18th!
Funding to purchase the six buses came from Federal Transit Administration grants and the County coffers. Although Henderson County owns the buses and the transit system, they contract with Western Carolina Community Action to use the equipment to operate three fixed transit routes across the county. Each year, Apple Country Public Transit makes 60K-70K passenger trips across the three routes as residents use public transportation to access work, shopping, medical appointments, school, and other community services.
The new buses are four feet shorter to allow for easier handling and can carry up to 2 wheelchair occupants and 15 passengers. The buses also feature electric wheelchair lifts, new fare boxes, message boards, and will soon be equipped with technology to provide ridership data across all routes.
Western Carolina Community Action will continue to use its existing fleet of vehicles to provide Title 3 transportation for seniors, Elderly and Disabled Transportation, Rural service, transportation to COVID immunization appointments, and medical transportation throughout Henderson County via Apple Country Transportation.
Visitors and residents are encouraged to call (828) 698-8571 to schedule a ride or for more information.