Hera tells Story County supervisors it provided nearly 32,000 rides last year and won grants for a health‑connector pilot

Brooke Ramsey, representing Hera, briefed the Story County Board of Supervisors on May 12 about Hera’s recent operations, grants and financial pressures.

Brooke said Hera provided nearly 32,000 individual rides last year to more than 1,000 people with Story County addresses and that on‑demand wait times average about 16 minutes. "We provided almost 32,000 individual rides to over 1,000 people with a Story County address," she said. She described strong rider satisfaction and improved driver retention even as the service faces higher fuel costs and continuing vehicle‑delivery delays.

Brooke outlined several grant awards and pilots. An ICAM (innovation and mobility management) grant paid for hybrid vehicles intended for longer‑distance trips; staff obtained vehicles through a state contract at reduced cost and have started to put them into service. Hera also received a National Rural Transit Assistance Program (National RTAP) grant (funded through the Federal Transit Administration) to expand a health‑connector project with McFarland Clinics; Hera expects integrated scheduling with clinic electronic records to begin service in July, supported by a United Way community impact grant for operations.

Brooke noted federal and state operating funds often require a 50 percent local match and said staffing and insurance costs remain pressures for budgeting. The board thanked Hera staff, including noting outreach to non‑Ames communities: staff later clarified roughly 11,605 of the reported rides were taken by non‑Ames residents.

Board members did not take formal action but asked staff to follow up with requested ridership breakdowns between Ames and other parts of the county.