Mark Hess turns over Trumbull Transit to John Moliterno

Staff report

WARREN

Friday morning’s meeting of the Trumbull Transit Board was the end of the contract for Mark Hess, Niles engineering and grants coordinator, to serve as technical adviser.

John Moliterno, a Girard councilman and president of Pegasus Printing, replaces Hess in a similar role as mobility manager.

Trumbull Transit provided 53,882 on-demand rides in 2013, which is up from the 49,984 it provided in 2012. It provided 23,484 rides to senior citizens in 2013, up from 17,719 in 2012.

The Trumbull County commissioners earlier this week approved giving Trumbull Transit $425,000 of senior levy funds for 2014.

That is down from the $635,000 the commissioners provided annually from senior levy funds several years ago, but Trumbull Transit has acquired about $450,000 in state grants to make up the difference, Hess said.

Community Bus Services will receive about $2 million to provide the rides in 2014, similar to 2013, but there is much more demand in the community for public transportation than what Trumbull Transit can provide, Hess said.

Hubbard company Garwin Inc. offered a bid last August to provide the services, but the transit board selected CBS, which has had the contract for many years.

Trumbull Transit provides on-demand rides for senior citizens, disabled residents, students and others. Many of the rides cost $1.50 to $2.

On-demand rides are ones that are scheduled by appointment, which is different from fixed-route rides that follow the same route.