BELTON, Texas — Reliable transportation is something Central Texans like Colleen Quinn depend on.
"My mother is legally blind and just knowing that we would have alternative transportation is my largest concern," Quinn explained.
This is one of the reasons why the Hill Country Transit District (HCTD) operates 'The HOP', which is a regional public transit system that started in the 1960’s as a volunteer transit service that has since grown to serve a nine-county area covering over 9,000 square miles.
New changes are coming to 'The Hop' as more people are calling Central Texas home every year.
"We're transiting into a micro-transit system," HCTD urban operations director Darrell Burtner explained.
The new micro-transit system will be operated on an application similar to Lyft or Uber. The app will have the ability to show drivers where their ride is and how long it will take them to make it to their destination.
"There will be a lot of training for our riders, especially for disabled people," Burtner added. "Customer service will also take calls to schedule a ride if someone has trouble working the app or help the visually impaired."
'The Hop' was created for non-emergency medical transportation, people with disabilities and the general public.
However, in order to better service the community, HCTD will also have to increase rates. This is something they haven't done since the year 2000.
"I think the added cost will be well worth it and is very reasonable for our riders and customers," Burtner said.
The rate increase is expected to happen in May/June 2024. With this new system, 50 part-time and full-time driver positions will become available.
'The Hop' is funded by federal grants, the State of Texas, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Medicaid and local cities that provide the program.
They conducted a test run of the new app at Fort Cavazos from Feb. 2024 to March 2024 and it went nearly perfect.
From March 11 - March 15, HCTD will be conducting public meetings in the areas where their services are available to answer any questions and break down the changes to the community.
Here is a list of the rest of this week's meetings:
• Copperas Cove – Copperas Cove Library - Tuesday, March 12 @ 4:00 p.m.
• Harker Heights – Harker Heights Library - Wednesday, March 13 @ 6:00 p.m.
• Killeen - Killeen City Council Chambers - Thursday, March 14 @ 6:00 p.m.
• Temple – Temple Public Library - Friday, March 15 @ 4:45 p.m.
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