SCAT adds two buses, second Tiffin route

Two new buses arrived this spring for Seneca-Crawford Area Transportation, and a new route has been added for the Shelton Shuttle. "The vehicles are finally here," said Executive Director Mary Habig. "Ridership doubled in April from where it was before. People are finally seeing it. It's an exciting time." In June 2021, she said two of the four vehicles SCAT had ordered were delivered, and the second two vehicles were delayed due to COVID-related backlogs. The second two vehicles arrived in April and SCAT officially put them into use on May 26. The arrival of the new buses has allowed a second bus route to open. "We had the Blue Route that was up and running," Habig said. "The Red Route has been added. It goes into residential areas and connects with Lot 6 downtown." The Red Line – known as the services route – also stops at the YMCA and the swimming pool at Hedges-Boyer Park as well as St. Francis and a couple of stops downtown. The Blue Line – which has been in operation since 2021 – is an east-west route that stops at Mercy Health - Tiffin Hospital, Tiffin University, Heidelberg University and at several business locations on the west side of Tiffin as well city Lot 6 near Tiffin post office. To see maps of the routes, visit https://senecascat.org and click on the "Shelton Shuttle" option at the top of the page. In the future, Habig said a White Line will be added to take passengers to industrial areas of town and more residential areas. Before that route can be started, she said more drivers are needed who have commercial driver licenses (CDLs) with a passenger endorsement. Habig said driver pay starts at $20.63 per hour, but drivers must arrange to get a CDL license through a local school. The fee to ride the Shelton Shuttle is $1, and Habig said transfers between bus routes are free "if you want to go from Blue to Red or Red to Blue, and to White when it happens." Passengers can transfer from one route to the other at Lot 6. She said SCAT is working a system to mark the buses with the colors blue and red to aid in passenger navigation. More future plans include building bus stops, and SCAT already has been awarded $300,000 for that project. "We're working on deciding where bus stops will be located," Habig said. "We might be able to write a grant for shelters as well." In the meantime, SCAT personnel are connecting with people at likely bus stop spots to make arrangements. In addition to the Tiffin routes, Habig said SCAT has been approved to receive a vehicle to extend Shelton Shuttle services between Fostoria and Tiffin. Timing on the start of that service will depend on when the vehicle arrives and on the number of drivers available. When that happens, she said a formal opening will be announced and ribbon cutting, probably in Fostoria. Also in Fostoria, Habig said SCAT is renovating a building at 269 E. Jackson St., which is owned by the city of Fostoria, to become SCAT's Fostoria garage. Funding of $410,000 was awarded to the agency from the Ohio Transit Partnership Program with no local match needed. She said bids for the project are due June 30, and then the renovation will begin after the bid is awarded. "It's because of Sen. (Bill) Reineke," she said. "Seneca County is booming because of him. He's on the transportation committee and he looks out for rural Ohio. He really does." Another innovation Habig is looking forward to is a "green" building for buses to be shared with Seneca County Opportunity Center. She said SCAT has applied for funding to have an architect design the building. One side will house SCAT buses and the other side will house Opportunity Center buses. In the center would be a shared bus washing area. She said the building will collect rainwater into a cistern for use in washing buses and have solar panels on the roof to help pay for electricity. Seneca-Crawford Area Transportation is a not-for-profit charitable organization that provides public transportation throughout Seneca and Crawford counties. Its mission is to serve the public by providing a safe, reliable, affordable, accessible and efficient transportation system. In addition to the Shelton Shuttles, SCAT provides planned transportation, offering curb-to-curb service with driver assistance, if necessary. Passengers using wheelchairs or scooters are secured while riding, and drivers are professionally trained to assist riders on and off the bus using wheelchair lifts. For more information, visit https://senecascat.org. Funding for SCAT is provided by the Federal Transit Administration, Ohio Department of Transportation, Seneca County Commissioners, Tiffin-Seneca United Way, United Way of Fostoria, Allen Eiry Funds and Tiffin Eagles. Anyone who would like to make a donation should contact the office at 419-448-7344. "We're growing by leaps and bounds, aren't we?" she said. "I'm excited about the growth. It takes a team."