A new general transportation service is available for any Allen Countian needing a ride.
General Public Transportation, operated by Iolans Pete and Doris Peters and John Parker, is available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The local trio started up the service recently, supported in part with funding from Senior Services of Southeast Kansas and the Kansas Department of Transportation.
Unlike Allen County’s general transportation bus available to elderly and disabled riders, Doris Peters said the upstart company caters to passengers of all ages.
“It can be for anyone, regardless of how old you are,” she said.
There are a few rules.
Rides are available by appointment only and must be reserved 24 hours in advance. The vehicle also is limited to a 100-mile radius. The main vehicle, a Chevrolet Venture minivan, can hold a maximum of seven passengers.
“We’re pushing the limits to go to Wichita and Topeka, but they’re within the radius,” Doris Peters said.
Passengers can ride for a suggested donation of 50 cents per mile, with a $2 minimum charge if the vehicle takes them to local places. Long-distance trips cost a flat fee of $50 round-trip.
There is some flexibility for passengers over 60 who cannot afford to pay, Pete Peters said, but they are obligated to keep the charges in place for younger riders. In addition, children must be accompanied by an adult to use the service, but the children then ride for free.
The service is available for passengers needing a ride to a grocery store, doctor’s office, to pay bills, “or if you’re just looking to get out of town for a while,” Doris Peters said.
The hours can be adjusted as well, if a passenger is headed to Topeka or Wichita, Pete Peters said.
“We’ll make exceptions if you have to leave early to get there, or if you know you won’t get back before 5,” he said.
The goal is to offer a service apart from the county’s transportation van, Parker said, “so we don’t duplicate services.”
Parker and the Peterses take turns driving on a weekly basis.
To reserve a ride, call (620) 432-1144.
OFFERING THE service has proven to be just the elixir the Peterses needed, Doris Peters said.
The couple ran Peters Retail Liquor for 30 years before retiring about three years ago.
“The first two years of retirement were great,” Doris Peters said. “But then we needed something to do.”
Parker, meanwhile, is a retired U.S. Department of Agriculture employee.
