SAN ANGELO, Texas — A minor upgrade is about to make all the difference for the thousands of people who rely on public transportation.
Concho Valley Transit recently was able to pull together the funds to install five different bus coverings. That means no more waiting in the sun or rain for your next ride.
"As soon as we could get the city out there and secure them, they did, and they were able to do it within a week. It took about one a day," said Ryan Herrera, assistant general manager of Concho Valley Transit.
City transit worked in conjunction with the City of San Angelo to help install the first five bus coverings, which cost $12,000 each.
Three of the bus shelters are on Martin Luther King Drive. There are also newly installed bus shelters at the H-E-B on Sherwood Way and the YMCA of San Angelo.
"It's a big thing. The caveat of what we do is we help people all day. Many people who utilize the service have no other way to get to the grocery store, to get to a doctor's appointment. On our demand response side, we do curb to curb service. We go to their house, and we'll pick them up if you're an American with a disability, ADA service," Herrera said.
Concho Valley Transit moves roughly about 265,000 passengers a year in the Concho Valley district, covering 12 different counties, including 16,000 square miles. Locally on the fixed route, Concho Valley Transit reports there being 185,000 unlinked passengers per year.
"Not only the fixture out in San Angelo but also our urban demand response and our rural area as well. We cover about a million miles a year," Herrera said.
There are plans to add 25 more bus shelters. Concho Valley Transit also recently purchased 13 new benches they hope to install soon.
