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professionally operated transit systems.
Our obligation to the Rappahannock Seniors is the same obligation we hold for the entire Planning District: to offer safe, reliable and cost-efficient transportation. As we all know, public tax dollars have consistently declined over the past several years and funds to purchase replacement vehicles are difficult to come by. This makes our Center’s priority of operating the equipment we do have in the most efficient manner possible all the more critical.
In the past, as in the present, Rappahannock clients have been served by both new and older equipment. Ms. Crescenti erroneously indicates that “for years” Rappahannock clients were solely provided with “the oldest vans in the fleet." This simply isn’t true. Prior to the blue van which Ms. Crescenti believes to be “lost,” the Rappahannock Seniors rode a new custom Chevrolet 12-passenger van. Given sufficient funds, we would like to be able to offer all Center riders consistent access to all new vehicles. Unfortunately, permanent assignment of any van, old or new, to one program site with no consideration to the length of the route, number of riders, mileage, etc. would constitute an irresponsible and wasteful use of this equipment purchased by the taxpayers and entrusted to our Center to operate with care and efficiency.
We can assure the citizens of Rappahannock that the “lost van” has indeed neither been misplaced nor misused. Rather, this morning the 21 blue van, to which Ms. Crescenti refers, was operating on the busy Culpeper'Fauquier corridor, covering six separate routes and being used appropriately to best meet the needs of our clients and the community.
KEVIN MITCHELL
Operations Director, RRCSB
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