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ACCESS - Transportation
Mission
It is the mission of Gaston County ACCESS Central Transportation to enhance the quality of life for the citizens and of Gaston County by providing timely, cost efficient, high quality, general public and human service transportation.
Core Services
ACCESS is the transportation "clearinghouse" for the Gaston County human service agencies. ACCESS identifies and arranges the most efficient and economical transportation services for all requests. ACCESS directly provides the needed transportation unless the requests are far more than the department can handle. If this is the case, the department makes the arrangements with outside private providers who can handle the requests, such as private transport services or other public transit providers.
In 1981 the Board of County Commissioners created the department of Central Transportation for the primary purpose of maximizing the use of existing transportation resources to provide economical transportation services for Human Service Agencies and secondly to provide economical transportation services for the general public. Since that time the department has been renamed as ACCESS.
This agency attains its purpose by acting as the Gaston County transportation clearinghouse, that being to identify and secure the most economical transportation service for any request. In some cases the Department provides the service directly; in other cases, the Department refers the request to a more economical provider, i.e. Gastonia mass transit lines, private interstate bus lines and local taxis.
When the service is provided by the Department, payment is expected at the time the transportation service is rendered, unless an account arrangement is made for monthly billing.
Subscription Routes & Demand Response
The Access Division provides seven basic transportation services:
- Subscription Routes - Daily van service to and from the same destination
- Demand Response - Individual service for one-time scheduled trips, i.e., medical appointments, service agencies, etc.
For more information regarding the types of services and the rates, contact the Access at 704-866-3206.
Department Vision
To meet the increasing transportation needs in Gaston County. We will continue our subscription route and demand response transportation services. To improve our efficiency by acquiring new technology, and expand our capacity and availability by improving our dial-a-ride system and increasing our general public transportation by utilizing a fleet of lift equipped vehicles, and small, lift equipped cutaway transit vehicles operating deviated, fixed routes.
Objectives
- To improve route efficiency by utilizing technological resources and improving routing.
- To coordinate with the human service agencies more closely and assist with eligibility and placement of customers requiring non-medical general transportation or wheelchair transportation to reduce costs to the customer and improve overall revenue for the County.
- To maintain the accuracy and timeless of billing and revenue functions.
- To receive at least a satisfactory rating on 85% on customer feedback surveys, customer service cards, and quality improvement telephone contacts.
- To maintain reliable fleet condition.
- To increase the number of passengers served by optimizing the schedule and routes.
Title VI
It is the policy of the Gaston County ACCESS Transportation System to provide equal opportunity to all people who are admitted to, participate in, or are the recipients of ACCESS services.
As a recipient of Federal financial assistance, ACCESS does not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any person on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or on the basis of disability or age in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits of any of its programs and activities or in employment therein, whether carried out by ACCESS directly or through a contractor or any other entity with whom ACCESS arranges to carryout its programs and activities.
This statement is in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and Regulations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued pursuant to the acts, Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations Part 80, 84, and 91. (Other Federal Laws and Regulations provide similar protection against discrimination on grounds of sex and creed.)
In case of questions concerning this policy, or in the event of a desire to file a complaint alleging violations of the above, please contact Lara Gurganus at 704-862-7663.
Complaints
Complaints must be filed in writing or in person no later than 180 days after the alleged act of discrimination occurred to, 816 West Mauney Avenue, or by mail to:
P.O. Box 1578
Gastonia, NC 28053-1578
Title VI Discrimination Complaint forms may be obtained from the ACCESS office at no cost by calling 704-862-7663 or download the Discrimination Complaint Form (DOCX).