Forsyth County is considering greenlighting a new program to provide free rides to work to residents without reliable transportation.
The proposed microtransit program would pay for a private transportation service for county residents who need help getting to and from work, or to any other job activities.
“So any job interview, jobs fair, job readiness training, anything like that," says Forsyth County Workforce Development Analyst Andrea Sheetz. "If a parent needs to go to work and their child needs to go child care and those are in opposite directions, we can take the child to child care.”
Sheetz says a lack of access to reliable transportation can prevent many people from pursuing jobs outside of the county’s urban centers – for example, at manufacturing plants in Union Cross.
“Those are phenomenal, well-paying jobs with great benefits that are available with just a high school diploma or a short-term credential," she says. "But the bus doesn't go out there.”
If approved, the initiative would be funded via a $90,000 grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote on the matter at its March 7 meeting.