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Paratransit Overflow Service Given to Voyageur

Sunday, 21 October 2012 11:26

It was the final blow against local cab companies. City council has awarded a contract to Voyageur to handle any overflow paratransit service, starting December 1st. That's when the program changes, and the city rolls out two new paratransit buses. It's a huge change to a program that was originally started by local cab companies. "I'm going to do my level best to make up those funds. I believe that the citizens of Woodstock that use the Parataxi program, a lot of them have already told us that they are going to continue using us and pay the cash fare because they want the level of service that we provide, such as carrying groceries right to the kitchen table," said Owner of Kendall Cab Yance McGee. Local cab companies had bid for the overflow service, and McGee says their hourly rate was comparable with Voyageur. They're charging the city $38 an hour, with a gasoline surcharge when gas prices are higher. Still, City Clerk Louise Gartshore expects there will be savings. "We are hoping that the costs will go down by a third, perhaps by fifty percent," said Gartshore. They're looking to make the transition to the new service as smooth as possible. "We're going to send a notice out to every single registered user. It's going to contain a magnet which will have the number for them to call that they can put on their fridge. We're certainly interested in comments," said Gartshore.

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