North Fork Area Transit hoping to reopen on April 3

UPDATE

NORFOLK, Neb. (KTIV) - On Wednesday, North Fork Area Transit announced they have set a tentative reopening date for its services.

According to a press release, the organization is hoping to have all of its services running again on Monday, April 3.

The release also says they will be adopting a smaller service model that will provide assistance the public needs most. Part of this includes modified “ForkLift” bus routes, which will be announced at a later date.

The Nebraska State Mobility Management Team along with board members are on-site conducting recall interviews with former employees, developing operating procedures and overseeing vehicle maintenance.

“We are working to restore service as quickly as possible. The fundraising portion was a huge undertaking and it has taken us a couple weeks to finalize all deposits and begin issuing payments to past vendors,” stated Corinne Donahue, Senior Planner with the State Mobility Management Team.

When available, information regarding reopening and available services can be found at northforkareatransit.com.

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NORFOLK, Neb. (KTIV) - Norfolk, NE, has been without bus service since early Jan. That’s about to change.

The North Fork Area Transit raised one million dollars to get back to business, with service expected to restart in “several weeks.” The North Fork Area Transit fleet currently sits idle.

No buses or vans running, which leaves hundreds weekly of riders looking for other options *if* they can find one.

“Then people started really panicking, a lot of people were calling the senior center and saying help, we need help, I need a ride to get to my doctor. And we’re not set up to handle that sort of thing,” said Kay Francavilla, a woman who frequents the Norfolk Senior Citizen Center.

A transit official I spoke with said it will take at least a few weeks for the service to restart, (and it won’t restart) before April 1. She says that’s because it will take time to pay back all the vendors the system owes debt to and to get these buses back on the road.

“Our TeleLift service will be the first service to be put back into place. That’s our 24-hour call ahead service. That’s our most popular service. So that will be first, then followed by some regional routes as well as a route on our Forklift. But that will be down the road a few months,” said Lacy Kimes, a vice-president on the transit system board.

The Senior Center is one of the vendors the bus system owes money to. The Center’s “Meals on Wheels” program often overlaps with those stuck at home without bus service.

“So it kind of coincides because so many of these people have no transportation, no family, and still have to go to the doctor,” said Lori Walmsley, the activity coordinator at the Norfolk Senior Citizen Center.

Senior Center patrons say they’re ready to see their friends again, to play dominoes and cards, once service restarts.

The bus service was able to restart after raising one-million dollars. Half was donated by the Johnny Carson Foundation. The other half was raised by North Fork Area Transit. The donor list was not released, but the Norfolk Mayor said the city pledged up to $150,000 in funds.

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