By Lori Copler
Editor

McLeod County Chronicle
Rides in sparsely populated areas in Sibley County, a request by the city of Buffalo to provide evening-hour rides, and a dwindling pool of volunteer drivers will have Trailblazer Transit exploring new options for its SMART service.

The Trailblazer Joint Powers Board recently met in Buffalo, and reviewed its SMART (Sibley-McLeod Auxiliary Regional Transit) program’s origins. SMART, which does not qualify for Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) funding, helps provide rides outside of Trailblazer’s traditional service area (such as rides to medical facilities in St. Cloud or Rochester), and potentially outside of normal operating hours. The service is funded by user fees and local tax dollars.

In January, the Trailblazer board heard that the city of Buffalo would like the transit system to take over its evening service since it was having a hard time finding drivers. At that time, the board intended to use 2018 as a planning year with possible implementation of service in 2019.

Find the complete story in the March 1, 2018 edition of the Arlington Enterprise.