FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 20, 2021
On-demand services, provided through Jaunt, will begin in mid-January and cover the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle, Fluvanna, Louisa, Greene, and Nelson counties.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - In August 2020, the City of Charlottesville Office of Economic Development was awarded over $180,000 from the Virginia Transit Association (VTA) to offer on-demand transportation to residents of Charlottesville and the surrounding counties for job training and employment purposes. By providing funding for on-demand transportation, the grant will allow the City to enhance its GO Ride Transportation Program, which currently provides City residents with bus passes for job search and employment. This grant will be executed in partnership with Jaunt, Inc., Network2Work @ PVCC, and many regional employer partners.
On-demand services, provided through Jaunt, will begin in mid-January and cover the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle, Fluvanna, Louisa, Greene, and Nelson counties. Grant initiatives will provide critical access to job training and employment opportunities beyond the traditional boundaries of Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT). According to Hollie Lee, Chief of Workforce Development Strategies for the City of Charlottesville, “This funding enables the City to address one of the biggest barriers to employment in the Charlottesville region – transportation. Through our partnership with Jaunt to provide on-demand transportation beyond the bus lines, we are able to create more opportunity and better access to jobs that pay a self-sufficient wage for our residents.”
“Jaunt is excited to expand our partnership with the City of Charlottesville and the surrounding counties to bring this important and much needed service to our communities,” said Interim Jaunt CEO, Karen Davis. “At a community level, this investment by VTA underscores how a robust public transportation system provides economic benefits to everyone by removing barriers to employment opportunities. At an individual level, it paves the path towards the dignity and pride of earning a paycheck and supporting one’s family.”
The program is intended for those enrolled in or eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which provides those with dependent children financial assistance and associated support. Transportation will be provided to City residents to reach training and employment opportunities throughout the region and to those living in surrounding counties to access opportunities in Charlottesville. Prospective enrollees will be asked to complete an intake form to determine eligibility based on TANF requirements, including residing with at least one dependent child and having income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Once enrolled, participants will schedule rides directly through Jaunt. Each participant will be eligible for up to $2,000 in assistance. Non-City residents who are eligible for on-demand services will be asked to enroll in Network2Work @ PVCC as part of their participation in the program.
In addition to on-demand transportation to and from employment, the program will supplement job training opportunities, job search/interviews, and child care transportation costs for dependents of enrolled participants.
For more information and/or to complete a GO Ride intake form, please visit www.charlottesville.gov/jobcenter. If you need assistance with the intake form, contact the City’s Downtown Job Center at jobcenter@charlottesville.gov or call 434-970-3933.
Media Contact
Hollie Lee
Chief of Workforce Development Strategies
City of Charlottesville Office of Economic Development
434-970-3117
leeh@charlottesville.gov
Jody Saunders
Director of Public Relations
Jaunt, Inc.
O: 434-296-3184
C:540-323-1616
Jodys@ridejaunt.org