GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Beginning Aug. 29, The Rapid will be updating its stops on the Route 10 Clyde Park service.
New stops will be added at the Special Olympics Michigan (SOMI) campus and Disability Advocates of Kent County, Pine Rest and the Spectrum Health South Pavilion.
Several stops on Division Avenue and 68th Street will be eliminated, and northbound stops on Clyde Park south of 54th Street will be maintained.
The stops on 54th Street will continue to be used for Route 1, but not Route 10.
The changes come after Byron Township did not renew its contract with The Rapid in June. The township paid a little over $32,000 a year to The Rapid, and according to town supervisor Don Tillema, only 16 people out of 27,000 residents rode the bus every day.
The contract had previously funded some of the stops on Route 10 south of 54th Street, and without the contract renewal, officials with The Rapid decided to reevaluate the route.
“This realignment will provide safer access to the Special Olympics of Michigan campus and co-located services provided by Disability Advocates of Kent County," said Deb Prato, CEO of The Rapid. "It will also allow for greater access to quality behavioral and mental health services, Spectrum Health services, as well as new access to employment opportunities for our six-cities residents."
Pine Rest officials say the updated route is crucial to serving the community.
"Access to transportation is essential for our community and this service will greatly benefit our friends and neighbors who are seeking care at Pine Rest, as well as our employees who can now choose public transportation as an option," said Mark Eastburg, president and CEO at Pine Rest. "Providing more access to our campus gives more opportunity to receive mental health and emergency care at Pine Rest's psychiatric urgent care center."
For more information on The Rapid or the updated route, click here.
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