Rochester, N.Y.— New changes coming to Monroe County are increasing access to public transportation.
Residents who have EBT cards can now use those cards directly to pay for bus fares, eliminating the need for them to wait for a bus pass.
The new system not only streamlines the process for EBT cardholders to access transportation, but ensures it is something they will always be able to use.
“Historically, many of our clients who rely on temporary assistance have needed that separate bus pass to get access to transportation,” explained Thalia Wright, commissioner of the Monroe County Department of Human Services. “Whether it was for medical care, job training, apprenticeship, work, this cover system often pulls many challenges that we saw and we heard. Bus passes can be lost, stolen and they cause a lot of unnecessary stress to our community members.”
The new program is the first of its kind in NYS.
Around 1,000 people are now eligible for the program, according to county representatives.
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