Editor’s note: This is the third in a series highlighting each of Cullman County’s administrative departments. Look for more stories on county departments in upcoming editions of The Cullman Times.



You’ve seen the CARTS buses, right?

They’re the white-and-blue shuttle vans seen daily about town and around Cullman County— at parks, senior centers, retail stores, hospitals and even Wallace State —providing public transportation, a service many in our rural suburban community don’t even know exists.

CARTS — the Cullman Area Rural Transportation System — is funded jointly by Cullman County and the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA). They’re whom you call if you need a ride in Cullman County.

Because the transportation needs of most county residents are satisfied by private vehicles and an extensive network of roads, the demographic makeup of CARTS ridership largely consists of those who, for medical or financial reasons, can’t drive a car of their own. CARTS director Charles Hyde, who has overseen the program since February of 2009, said CARTS is designed primarily to cater to the needs of those groups — though, he adds, anyone in need of the service can ride. There are no age restrictions or other qualifiers.

“The people who ride, they really understand and appreciate the benefits to them,” said Hyde. “It’s an economical way for the them to get transportation for doctors’ visits; their medical needs; shopping routes; even for students to get to their classes at Wallace State.”

The CARTS fleet fields 36 buses operated by a staff of 24 full and part-time drivers. On a typical day, 28 or so buses will be in service, manned by 20 drivers on a rotational basis.

Riders on routes that take pay-as-you-go fares can use the subsidized service on a staggered fee schedule, with persons under age 60 paying regular rates that start at $2 for trips under 7 miles; $4 up to 15 miles and $5 for trips longer than 15 miles. A second stop on any of the routes, per day, costs just $1 more.

Seniors — those over the age of 60 — get even better rates. The short trip costs $1; a trip between 8 and 15 miles costs $2 and anything longer than that, so long as it remains inside Cullman County, costs $3.

Although the pay-as-you-go option is popular, CARTS gains much of its income from contract fares with agencies that serve populations who have specific needs for the service. Among those are the Cullman County Center for the Developmentally Disabled; the Cullman County Commission on Aging and Wallace State Community College. Those clients pay an annual contract fee that allows them to structure, in conjunction with CARTS staff, dedicated bus routes for shuttling residents who use the service.

The popular “shopping routes,” which originate at different communities throughout the county on different days of the week, aren’t contracted; they’re just fare routes that allow people throughout the county to get to Cullman and conduct their weekly business. Stops at Wal Mart, retail shopping centers, banks, pharmacies and fast food restaurants even become a kind of weekly ritual for those who rely on the service to make their way into town.

“Oh, yes, I do it every week,” laughed Mary Sweatmon, who waited to dispatch on Friday’s shopping route with other Crane Hill-are residents at the CARTS headquarters. “If it wasn’t for CARTS, I’d be stuck. This lets us get out and do things; Fridays are our CARTS days.”

Indeed, the CARTS ridership, particularly on shopping routes and the routes contracted by organizations such as the commission on aging, seems close-knit, as most riders know each other and look forward to meeting at the same time each week when it’s time to ride.

“See, we have a senior route with the senior citizens in the county,” explained Hyde. “We’ll have a certain number of seniors who go to different senior centers throughout the county during the week. We carry them to that. But, then, if some of them get together at the commission on aging [headquarters] and want to take a trip to St. Bernard or Mentone [in Northeast Alabama], they can do that with us. As long as we have a contract with that entity, we can do it.”

Out-of-county group fares are also possible for pay-as-you-go riders, with advance scheduling. Seniors can charter a bus at $13.75 per hour and an additional $.60 per mile; all others must pay $15 per hour and $.60 per mile.

It’s all pretty flexible, says Hyde — as long as people can give the CARTS staff a day’s notice (except in cases involving medical needs, which allow for same-day scheduling), they can pretty much expect CARTS to accommodate their daytime travel itinerary — even if that does involve, at times, some sharp logistical planning.

“If we have someone who calls in, and they say, ‘We’ve got ten people who want to go over to St. Bernard,’ we tell them, ‘Okay;’ and then they pay as they board the bus individually. We can make it happen. Sometimes it’s a puzzle to coordinate where the buses are going to be; trying to save fuel by scheduling our pickups on one trip to this part of the county or that. But if we have notice, we do our best to accommodate everyone.”

The federal government funds 80 percent of CARTS’ annual budget; Cullman County is obligated to pick up the remaining 20 percent. The federal money comes with some additional encumbrances and guidelines unique to the CARTS program — CARTS employees follow stricter handbook policies than those working for the county’s other departments, and must undergo separate training on those topics. But it’s a small — and sensible — price to pay in order for CARTS to be able to provide much-needed transportation to those rural residents who need it the most, said Hyde.

If you need a ride, Hyde said the best way to let CARTS know is to call a day in advance, or — for those interested in a specific established route, such as the shopping routes — to call for information on days and times each route runs.

“The easiest avenue for using CARTS is to just get touch with us,” Hyde said. “When people call, they will get either me or one of the schedulers or dispatchers. All of us will be able to answer any questions about when the buses run and where they’re scheduled to go for the day ahead. We also have available printouts at our office on our rate structure.”

The CARTS office is located at 1950 Beech Avenue SE in Cullman, next to the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office. People are available to answer phones from 6:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. The county maintains an informational Web page on CARTS at www.co.cullman.al.us/carts.htm.

The phone number to call for ride information is 734-1246.



* Benjamin Bullard can be reached by e-mail at bbullard@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.