ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On August 4, Delta County voters will be asked to approve or reject a millage for the Delta Area Transit Authority (DATA).
The Friends of DATA are some of the people who take public transportation most often. They say the proposed millage is absolutely necessary.
“Without DATA, I don’t know where I would be today,” said Melissa Anderla. “They pick me up every day for work. They take me to the malls. They take me to my appointments.”
They say a wide variety of people utilize DATA for all sorts of reasons.
“It’s very important to get out and do shopping, go to meetings, get out and visit our friends,” said Vonnie Chamteau, who has been riding with and advocating for DATA since 1968. “Someday, the seniors won’t be able to drive when they get older.”
“Without DATA, we wouldn’t be able to get to doctor’s appointments,” Samantha Bunn said. “Especially in the winter snow months, it’s hard to walk to places. It’s really a good thing for the community.”
“You don’t think about things as little as getting prescriptions,” added Pat Olesak. “I also take it to go swimming at the pool twice a week.”
The ballot proposal includes up to .689 mills for an eight-year period. If approved, it would replace transit millages currently funded by nine cities and townships. It would also allow the authority to serve the rural parts of the county that are not covered by those existing millages.
“Cabs are really expensive, so I’m glad that we have the DATA here,” said Friend of DATA Melissa Metor. “It would be hard for some people, like going to the hospital in the ambulance and to have no way of getting back in wheelchairs. I don’t know what I would do without the DATA.”
Right now, DATA operates on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. If the millage passes, those hours would extend to 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday, and 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday.
“Friday and Saturday service, oh my gosh,” said Friend of DATA Jodi Carlson. “We would have more freedom. We’d have more flexibility. People could have a couple of drinks with their friends and have a safe ride home, but more importantly, people could get to and from work, late-night shifts.”
Many supporters depend on the service to get around, including Saundra Walker, who has been riding with DATA for about 16 years.
“DATA has been a lifeline for me,” she said. “I would not be able to get out and still be a mom, do things, because I had smaller children. Just day-to-day activities like banking, shopping, taking care of everything from when you wake up in the morning to when you go to sleep at night.”
Some who oppose the millage believe the cost should be covered by those who utilize the service. Walker says anyone could find themselves in a position where they need public transportation.
“My physicality has changed, because I was not always needing a wheelchair,” she said. “I was never thinking I would be in this situation, and now I am in the blink of an eye. Be careful, because life changes so rapidly.”
For regular riders, the Transit Authority is more than transportation; it is a community.
“I can still remember my first bus driver,” Anderla said. “His name was Doug Hill. They are like family to me. Everyone I meet, they are so kind. They keep you busy. They laugh; they tell jokes. They keep in contact with information you would love to know.”
According to the Delta Area Transit Authority, the city and township millages currently in place are not able to be extended long-term. If the millage proposal fails, the Authority reports that it could lose the majority of its funding, leading roughly 90% of rides to be cut. Walker says such a loss would be devastating for those who rely on the service.
“When the cab shut down here, we had no mode of transportation on the weekend,” she said. “It was not even an option. Being a mom, my life can’t stop just because this happened to me. Knowing that I have this service here, it’s very important to all of us.”
The Friends of DATA say support for public transportation is support for every Delta County resident.
For more information on what the DATA millage proposal includes, visit databus.org. WZMQ 19 will speak with the director of the Delta Area Transit Authority on July 29, as part of our continuing coverage of this and other ballot issues.
