Clallam Transit has assumed the day-to-day operations of the county’s paratransit service.
Clallam Transit general manager Terry Weed said the change, which took effect April 1, won’t affect paratransit customers or Clallam Transit’s budget.
“Many of the moving pieces were already in place to allow us to make this transition with as little impact as we could,” Weed said.
Bremerton-based Paratransit Services, a nonprofit contractor that had served Clallam County since 1988, made a business decision in February to discontinue its operations here, Weed said.
He said the decision was based on a new contract that the state Department of Social and Health Services awarded to Paratransit Services to broker non-emergency medical transportation services.
“Paratransit could not hold both contracts at the same time,” Weed explained.
“Given our relatively small size, it was an easy decision on their part.
“Clallam Transit made a decision that we would do the work ourselves and that in order to do so, we needed to hire a number of folks,” Weed said.
Clallam Transit hired 26 Paratransit Services employees, mostly drivers, who were already living and working in the area.
Money that had been used to hire the service was diverted to operating it, Weed said.
“Paratransit’s base of operations [in Clallam County] remains unchanged,” Weed said.
“They will continue to operate the same vehicles. Service to the public has been unchanged. A client of paratransit would hardly notice.”
Paratransit is a door-to-door service for the elderly and disabled.
Clallam Transit board members will discuss the change and consider formally terminating the agreement with Paratransit Services when they gather Monday.
The board also will recognize Clallam Transit employees who have been dealing with the change on a “nonstop basis” for the past six weeks, Weed said.
The state Department of Transportation owned five of the 20 paratransit buses in Clallam County. Clallam Transit has secured the title to those five vehicles, Weed said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
