Transit service waives fees during pandemic

A regional transportation service that provides on-demand services from city to city for residents of Marion County is waiving fees for rides through the end of January in order to reduce the chance of passing COVID-19.

“With increasing positive COVID cases in our area, we are looking for additional ways of keeping our passengers and drivers safe,” Michelle Griffin, mobility manager for OCCK, Inc., said. “By eliminating the contact needed to charge fares and sell passes for one additional month, we are hoping to limit the spread of the virus. This also gives us time to look for more permanent safety and fare management features.”

Rides for county residents are paratransit services.

“It’s general public transportation, so it’s for anything,” Griffin said. “They have to call in and get those rides scheduled, so it’s based on availability.”

Destinations are primarily within the 14-county region OCCK serves, which includes Salina, McPherson, andAbilene.

People with non-emergency medical appointments in Wichita can use the service to see their physician if they have Medicaid to cover a trip outside the region OCCK serves.

“So far in 2020 we’ve given 22 rides to Marion County residents through the end of October,” Griffin said.

A regular route from Marion to Salina, with a stop at Hillsboro, could be started, Griffin said.

“People who would be interested could call and let us know,” she said. “We could gauge that and know if it’s something we could do.” OCCK’s number is (785) 826-1583.