Night Owl Evening Service Begins October 1
Oct 1, 2008 - Oct 8, 2010
MAX service area
MAX service area
(Holland, Mich.) Sept. 30, 2008 – Holland area residents who have places to go in the evening but no transportation will now have the option of riding the bus. The Macatawa Area Express (MAX) Transportation Authority begins offering its “Night Owl” reserved ride service from 7 p.m. to midnight Mondays through Saturdays.
The service offers call-ahead reserved rides only after the regular fixed bus routes end at 7 p.m. Passengers must call in to reserve their ride by 4 p.m. the day prior to travel. Reservations are being handled on a first-come, first served basis. One way fares are $3 for adults and half-fare cardholders, and $1 for seniors, children and ADA cardholders.
“Area residents have consistently requested evening bus service, but our transit millage is insufficient to fund the cost of operating our fixed route buses at night,” explains Sherri Betz, MAX’s marketing specialist. “Offering Reserve-A-MAX in the evening will at least give residents the option of riding the bus home from work, or attending evening social or school functions.”
Betz admits that it is possible that demand for night service will exceed capacity, but that this is a good start and will help transit officials gauge the demand for service.
The new evening service is made possible by a $55,000 New Freedom Grant from the Federal Transportation Administration to fund one driver and one bus until midnight. MAX must match the grant with a $55,000 local contribution.
MAX’s policy of allowing able-bodied adults to use the demand response service is an anomaly. The transit systems in Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and Kalamazoo do not offer reserved ride service for adults unless they have a disability.
The service offers call-ahead reserved rides only after the regular fixed bus routes end at 7 p.m. Passengers must call in to reserve their ride by 4 p.m. the day prior to travel. Reservations are being handled on a first-come, first served basis. One way fares are $3 for adults and half-fare cardholders, and $1 for seniors, children and ADA cardholders.
“Area residents have consistently requested evening bus service, but our transit millage is insufficient to fund the cost of operating our fixed route buses at night,” explains Sherri Betz, MAX’s marketing specialist. “Offering Reserve-A-MAX in the evening will at least give residents the option of riding the bus home from work, or attending evening social or school functions.”
Betz admits that it is possible that demand for night service will exceed capacity, but that this is a good start and will help transit officials gauge the demand for service.
The new evening service is made possible by a $55,000 New Freedom Grant from the Federal Transportation Administration to fund one driver and one bus until midnight. MAX must match the grant with a $55,000 local contribution.
MAX’s policy of allowing able-bodied adults to use the demand response service is an anomaly. The transit systems in Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and Kalamazoo do not offer reserved ride service for adults unless they have a disability.