The Jonesboro Economical Transit System is trying to prepare for an increase in the number of para-transit riders.
These riders use JETS buses to get to their health care appointments. The numbers of people using public transportation for health care needs makes up a large chunk of public transit riders nationwide.
JETS Director Steve Ewart fully expects those numbers to catch up to Jonesboro in the very near future. The numbers of riders of JETS continues to increase and Ewart says he expects a spike in riders to go to health care appointments to rise.
Ewart also told members of the JETS committee that many transit systems are moving away from cash payments to card payments. This is common in larger cities, where transit riders can purchase a card and can load that card with needed rides.
He says paper passes can currently be bought at Jonesboro City Hall, but cash is still the preferred method. He says it would cost six figures to start the move toward cards and electronic purchasing of transit passes. Ewart says a tight budget won’t allow for that move, but it may be something to look at in the far future.
