- Rural communities in the Coastal Bend are limited due to the lack of public transportation.
- REAL, Inc. has stepped in over the years to provide people with much-needed rides.
- Now, they are expanding their hours and adding the REAL Flash program to their fleet of vehicles.
Getting around in the rural Coastal Bend can be challenging without public transportation. However, there’s a new option to help residents get to places they need to go, such as work, the grocery store, or a doctor’s appointment.
So many rural residents have places to go, but they don’t have a way to get there. Rural Economic Assistance League, INC. (REAL), an organization known to help those residents with transportation, is expanding its services by miles.
"They take me here, there, wherever I want to go. I'm just waiting for the REAL Flash. That way I can get there quicker. It's 30 minutes,” said Sharon Yarbrough, REAL, Inc. client.
Yarbrough has been using REAL, Inc. services for about five years. She recently learned that the only public transportation in Alice has extended their hours and is getting a faster program.
The existing micro public transportation covers nine counties. Its hours are now from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., but several people are eager for the REAL Flash.
"They do a good job as it is, but I'm very impatient. It's a lot faster. If I'm gonna run a quick errand or something. It's a lot better that way,” Yarbrough said.
Pamela Hernandez is REAL, Inc.’s Department Manager of Mobility Management. She says the company is always looking for better ways to serve its clients.
When asked for quarterly feedback, clients asked for faster transportation. Hernandez said that’s when REAL Flash was born.
"REAL Flash is considered micro transit. It's a convent way to connect more people within their neighborhood,” Hernandez said.
REAL Flash is expected to launch in a few weeks. It’ll be available in two zones of the Coastal Bend - the Alice-Rancho Alegre zone and the Rockport-Fulton zone.
"This would give riders availability to go ahead and book their trip through the app or they could call us. And that can connect them to where they want to go within their zone,” Hernandez said.
As part of the mobile transportation, Hernandez said they are asking for monetary donations on this Giving Tuesday that’ll fund 250 round trips for their clients.
For more information on how to schedule a ride with REAL, Inc. or how to donate call them at 361-668-3158.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
