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Transit director says federal rules and funding block rural patients from Richmond Transit; commissioners ask administration for review
Summary
A renal social worker urged Richmond Transit to serve dialysis patients in microtransit zones; transit staff said federal 5311 rural grant rules and lack of funding prevent adding riders in certain areas and that a Smart Grant application failed. The commission unanimously asked administration to develop options to expand service.
A renal social worker told the Augusta Commission that dialysis patients are being told their addresses fall in microtransit zones and therefore do not qualify for Richmond Transit, leaving some chronically ill people without reliable transport for life-sustaining treatments.
Chelsea Carlson, a renal social worker, described multiple patients who cannot access consistent transit to dialysis. "These chronically ill patients require this dialysis as life sustaining treatment 3 times a week, 4 hours at a time," Carlson said, explaining that missed sessions often lead to emergency-room visits and additional community costs.
Dottie, the transit director, told the commission that Richmond Transit receives federal 5311 funds that are restricted to rural-area service. She said a federal census change reclassified some Hephzibah addresses out of the rural service area and into a separate microtransit zone. "The dollars that I receive for Richmond transit come through the Georgia Department of Transportation… those dollars are set aside in a grant called 5311, and it is for the rural area," she said, adding staff cannot add new riders in ineligible areas without changing GDOT rules or finding new funding.
Dottie showed maps that staff updated two weeks earlier indicating blue areas where rural service operates and yellow stripes designating microtransit, which the current 5311 allocation does not cover. She said transit staff had pursued other options including a partnership application for a Smart Grant — a $1.6 million request that was unsuccessful — and discussed contractor estimates of $1.2–$1.3 million to start microtransit service. The director said she has made ad-hoc arrangements via the 211 call center for medical trips but cannot add riders to the 5311-funded rural service.
Commissioners asked staff to explore alternatives. Commissioner Tina Slendak moved, and the committee seconded, a direction that administration and transit should bring back recommendations and options to address gaps and update policy. The motion passed unanimously.
Transit staff said two patients currently on the list fall inside the microtransit area; staff will continue to triage urgent medical trips through 211 while pursuing funding or policy changes to expand fixed-route or paratransit service boundaries.
