COTA to expand routes by end of 2018

 Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority community planner Diego B. Songsong speaks at the Saipan Chamber of Commerce membership meeting at Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan last Wednesday. (Bea Cabrera)

The Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority plans to expand its current bus route, which right now runs from the Northern Marianas College to Middle Road, to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. in Garapan.

Speaking last Wednesday during the Saipan Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Hibiscus Hall of the Fiesta Resort & Spa in Garapan, COTA community planner Diego B. Songsong disclosed plans to expand the route, called Flame Tree Line #1A, which was activated just last month.

The expansion, to be called Flame Tree Line #1B and called COTA’s “core route,” will have COTA buses running the NMC-As Lito-Koblerville route.

Other routes planned include Route#2: As Matuis-San Roque-Tanapag-Garapan; Route #3: Kagman-Capitol Hill-Navy Hill-Garapan; and Route #4: Kagman-San Vicente-Dandan-NMC.

Transfer points will be Paseo de Marianas, Northern Marianas College, and Kagman market.

COTA was created in May 27, 2011, to address the growing need for public transportation in the CNMI.

“We started with a public transportation system called demand response…it is a shared, accessible curb-to-curb service, available on a first-come, first-served basis wherein riders called for reservation one or two days ahead in order to arrange transportation destination in any location where roads are accessible for vehicles and taken to places such as shopping centers, banking facilities, recreational centers, healthcare facilities, community centers, place of enjoyment, the seaport and the airport,” he said.

The fixed route was activated on April 9, servicing the NMC-Middle Road-CHC-Garapan route. It runs every two hours and uses a low-floor, medium-duty bus, fully ADA accessible and with a wheelchair ramp, and is capable of 22 passengers and two wheelchairs.

Songsong said the development of the second route became possible when they secured $344,000 in U.S. Department of Interior TAP Grant.

“This will help us procure medium-duty buses and to cover operational and personnel expenses for COTA’s Fixed Route Flame Tree Line #1A and #1B. This is will compliment the already serviced route Flame Tree Line #1A, which was activated early this month,” he added.

According to Songsong, other developments in the COTA pipeline include completion of the architectural and engineering design for the COTA building and maintenance facility in 2016 and the construction of the bus stop infrastructure (bus stop signage and ADA landing pad) for the Flame Tree #1A and #1B (core route).

Songsong said travel fares vary between the Fixed Route and the Demand Response public transporation service.

“For fixed routes, it’s $2 for the general public that includes adults and youths ages 12 and up, $1 for youths ages 11 and below, and no charge for senior citizens, veterans, people with disabilities, infants ages 3 and below. For demand response, it’s $5 for the general public that includes adults and youths ages 4 and up, $3 for senior citizens and veterans, and no charge for people with disabilities and infants ages 3 and below,” he added.

Bridge Capital LLC chief operations officer Tucker Baldwin said that having a public transportation system is akin to sharing resources.

“This will definitely help people to go to their place of [work], to the place they need to go and shop or to go to other community resources they need,” he added.

SDA School principal Randy Yates said it will be a great help if parents and students are able to take advantage of it.

“We do have a number of students that come to us from Garapan and Chinatown area. …To me, it would be very-cost effective because the fare is only a dollar for a student to travel and this lifts the burden of taking care of the traffic, gas and parking.”