Battle Creek Pilot program helps people get to work Group gives rides to work in church vans

By Olivia Lewis Battle Creek Enquirer BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP) - Employees in the Fort Custer Industrial Park shouldn't have to worry about how to get to work anymore. A group of mostly faith-based organizations have teamed up to create a six-month pilot transportation program that will charge a small fee to transport workers in church vans, according to the Battle Creek Enquirer ( http://bcene.ws/1wXLrPG ). The group began with a small group of participants from the Essential Skills Demanded by Great Employers program and one employee from the public. Sheri Harris, president of Joint-religious Organizing Network for Action and Hope, said they will begin small and gradually include more people from the community. Harris said riders will use a pass system and call a volunteer dispatcher with their work schedule a week in advance. Riders will pay a $10 fee round-trip and $7 one-way. Harris said they would like to include as many people in the community as possible, but the group of organizations is still looking for more vehicles and drivers to accommodate their expected demand. Harris said she has heard in various community meetings and gatherings the difficulties of finding inexpensive transportation. The group hopes to become sustainable and reliable for larger groups of people who need assistance in transportation services. Scott Cubberly, EDGE program director, said issues of transportation were brought to his attention through meetings with The Coordinating Council, and the Adult Outcomes group. Cubberly said participants of previous and current EDGE programming will participate in the pilot program. Cubberly said it has been difficult for third-shift employees at Fort Custer to find public transportation. He also said many of the EDGE participants are working but have not been able to save enough to purchase their own reliable transportation. "They still have some of those barriers with getting to work and its finding the most affordable way for them to get to work while tackling some of the economic issues that they're dealing with," Cubberly said. Cubberly said with the group providing reliable transportation, employees should be more likely to get to work and on time consistently. He said before the system was put in place EDGE participants would walk, bike or car pool to work. The Rev. Ivan Lee, pastor of New Harvest Church, said it will use two vans to assist with the pilot program. The pastor said he too would like to see the program expand as long as it remains cost effective. Lee said it's important to have safe pick-up locations with low fees while still getting people where they need to go. The drivers will come from his congregation, who already assist members of the church getting to and from Sunday service. Lee said he expects the program to help people stay employed and create more jobs for drivers. Lee said he has heard from his congregation the difficulties of reliable transportation and decided this was a program his church could support. "I'm really excited about it, it's great for us (and) for the church," he said. "We're getting more people working and getting to work." Published: Wed, Jan 14, 2015