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Rural Community Transportation warns of rising demand, driver strain as NEK grows
Summary
Rural Community Transportation told the Senate Transportation Committee that demand for rides in the Northeast Kingdom is outpacing vehicles, drivers and funding, citing contractual Medicaid constraints, microtransit growth and a $40,000 annual cost example tied to a proposed housing project.
Cale Grant, executive director of Rural Community Transportation (RCT), told the Senate Transportation Committee during NEK Advocacy Day that demand for public rides in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom has surged and is straining the agency’s vehicle, driver and budget capacity.
"We're not just moving people from A to B, we're connecting people to opportunities, to health, to community," Grant said, summarizing RCT’s mission and the services it provides across Orleans, Essex, Caledonia and Lamoille counties.
Grant told committee members that RCT receives roughly 1,000 daily requests for on-demand trips and is typically able to accommodate about 800. He said Medicaid-funded trips make up the bulk of on-demand requests and are governed by a 48-hour notice rule: "We are contractually obligated to provide 98% of all trips requested with a 48 hour notice," Grant said, characterizing that…
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