Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Showing off its new, more accessible, central location, the San Benito County Local Transportation Authority invited the public to tour its offices during an open house on Aug. 8.
The site, at 650 San Benito Street, is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and also acts as a home for the San Benito County Council of Governments.
Both agencies were previously located in offices at 330 Tres Pinos Road.
The new location continues the office’s services, such as selling bus tokens for riders of the County Express line, according to Administrative Services Specialist Norma Aceves. It also provides assistance to seniors who can no longer drive and people with disabilities.
There were displays at the event showing recent transportation improvements, including the work done on Highways 25 and 156.
“We obviously have a hand on the different road planning types projects,” Aceves said. “The other big part of our business here is as the local transit agency, running the County Express.”
Aceves said there is a fleet of more than 20 buses in that system, as well as other specialized transportation services that cater more to seniors and people with disabilities.
“This is really the main reason why we moved downtown,” she said. “We wanted to be closer to our county partners, city partners and be more easily accessible to the public because we want them riding our bus.”
Aceves said that, unlike the previous location, the new one is ADA accessible, making it more visible to the community.
“Which is huge for a government agency,” she said. “We don’t want us tucked in a corner somewhere where people can’t easily reach us.”
Aceves said the space is designed to foster collaboration, partnering with the cities of San Juan Bautista and Hollister. She said the new office has gotten a great reception from everyone who has seen it.
“The staff in the community likes the new space,” she said. “A lot of our clients are riders, and I don’t know how many times I’ve heard them say they like it because they do not have to drive as far to get here.”
County Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters Francisco Diaz, who attended the open house, said he was enthusiastic to see how beautiful its new downtown home is.
“I have taken the County Express before,” Diaz said. “There were a couple of times when I needed a ride to go from one place to another, and it was very easy to be able to get a hold of them.”
Diaz said the County Elections Office works with the County Express to make sure that senior citizens have a way to get to polling places on election day.
“I strongly believe that COG is a great partner to us and the community,” he said. “I think everyone is going to benefit from their downtown location because now they’re more accessible and it’s easier for people to come, walk or drive here.”
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.