Atlanta Progressive News

A local minister has formed a non-profit company to offer public transportation services to disabled and elderly riders in Metro Atlanta.

Dr. Penny Brown, along with husband Anthony, founded Kairos Paratransit Mobility Service in light of recent MARTA service changes and pending fare increases.

“Before any of these changes were implemented, paratransit services left a lot to be desired,” Brown told APN.

Brown and her husband are both disabled and are eligible for MARTA’s Mobility Service but prefer MARTA’s regular bus service to get to work.

“I kind of do better with the busses because there have been many occasions when the paratransit vans arrive 45 minutes late,” she said.

Kairos, a Greek word meaning “the right or opportune moment,” would utilize 14 vans to serve different parts of Fulton and DeKalb Counties.

Elderly and disabled riders would place a call to a dispatch headquarters, staffed initially by four to six dispatchers located in Buckhead or Midtown, and give a location where they want to be picked up.

Riders would pay $3 for a one-way trip, possibly with cash, tokens, or a reloadable card system. The $3 fare would be lower than the $3.60 MARTA Mobility will charge as of Oct. 1.

Marietta-based National Bus Sales & Leasing, Inc. would provide new vans at between $50,000 and $55,000 per vehicle.

Brown sees Kairos not as a MARTA competitor but rather a MARTA supplement.

“We hope we will certainly enhance MARTA,” she said. “We hope to take some of the pressure off of them.”

To realize this vision, Brown said Kairos is trying to raise $1 million through community donations and benefit fundraisers. With $1 million in hand, Brown said Kairos could qualify for a federal matching grant.

“We’re looking to have the vans out on the road by early April, late spring of 2010,” she said. “We believe we are going to be able to raise the money by hopefully March if not before.”

Brown realizes raising funds will not be easy in these tough economic times.

“It’s taking a bit more creativity and ingenuity to raise funds so it’s going to be a minute,” she said. “We’ll accept the small donations and we’ll certainly accept the large donations.”

Brown said Kairos would also pay for all drivers to take mandatory anger management classes in order to better deal with the disabled and elderly riders.

“Dealing with people on a good day can sometimes not be a pleasant situation,” she said. “Dealing with people who are disabled…they can kind of get under your skin because they’ve got things going on.”

Brown said she and her husband have had unpleasant experiences with MARTA drivers.

“They’ve been a little less than kind. Some of them have been flat out rude,” she said. “There will be days when, as a driver, you’re not in the best of moods.”

While Kairos has obtained 501c3 non-profit status from the Georgia secretary of state’s office, the organization is still in its infancy.

The service is working on raising its first $10,000 and, while it has applied, has not yet received 501c3 non-profit status from the IRS. The board of directors are scouting locations for the dispatch center and deciding on the best payment method.

But Brown feels confident Kairos can provide a valuable service and expand in the future.

“This is something that will benefit the community, jobs will be created, and service will be created where there is no service,” she said. “It’s a win-win situation all the way around.”