SHADY HILLS, Fla. — Earlier this month, Pasco County resident Lynn Nagel was featured in a story about her efforts to overcome addiction and rebuild her life by earning her GED at Shady Hills Mission Chapel.
“In 2020 I didn’t know how to read or write,” she said. “So from then to now I evolved a lot. That’s one of our words in my school. Evolved,” Nagel told ABC Action News reporter Erik Waxler.
However, getting to her classes has recently become more difficult. Nagel lives at a shelter about 10 miles from the church, and she says transportation has become a major issue.
WATCH: Loss of bus route puts hurdle in path of Pasco County woman’s addiction recovery
“If I can’t get a ride there, then I’m stuck,” she said.
Pasco County Public Transportation, or GoPasco, recently eliminated the bus route that took her to Shady Hills Mission Chapel. The church not only provides GED classes, but also food and counseling services.
Without the bus, Nagel often rides her bicycle more than an hour each way.
“I’m faithful to it every day,” she said. “I was coming here when the bus was running. Now, I come three days a week, which I’m supposed to. But when the bus was here, I didn’t miss any days. Now it’s hard.”
Pastor Jen Kerouac of Shady Hills Mission Chapel said Nagel is not the only one affected by the change.
“It has really challenged people,” Kerouac said. “There are elderly people who don’t have the knowledge. They don’t have the information that you can probably get a paratransit vehicle out to you.”
GoPasco offers a paratransit service for individuals who qualify and are unable to use fixed-route transit. The program provides door-to-door service with an advance reservation.
Nagel applied but said she was met with frustration.
“The lady looked at me and said, ‘You stay at the Rope Center. They give you bus passes.’ So, I took my bus passes and threw them on the counter and said, ‘I’ve got passes. But you guys took my bus away,’” she recalled.
In response to questions about the route’s removal, GoPasco said the decision followed a year-long study of the transit system that identified underperforming routes. The route serving Shady Hills Road was flagged for low ridership and high operating costs.
“It’s the only bus that goes from the Vincent House to here,” Nagel said. “The only bus I can catch on Little and Denton to get to the places that are helping me the most.”
GoPasco said it is developing a new initiative called Microtransit, which will help riders connect to fixed-route stops and gain more direct access to services and opportunities. The program is expected to launch in October.
For more information about public transportation options in Pasco County, go here.
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