Transit service comes to Red Bay
RED BAY — NACOLG Transit, operated by the Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments, has begun providing regular public transportation service in Red Bay, marking the first time the agency has had a dedicated driver based in the city.
David Clemons, transit operations manager for NACOLG, said the service started roughly two months ago after years of requests from outlying communities.
“We’ve been asked several times over the years to come into places like Red Bay,” Clemons said. “A lot of times it was hard to get drivers in those areas. Red Bay was the first place where a local driver stepped up and wanted to do it.”
Clemons said the Red Bay driver keeps a bus in town and operates daily during the week, taking riders to destinations such as Russellville, Muscle Shoals and Florence for medical appointments, shopping and other needs.
The service is not a fixed bus route. Instead, NACOLG operates what is known as demandresponse or curb-to-curb transit.
“We go to their home, pick them up, take them exactly where they need to go and then bring them back,” Clemons said. “It’s not like meeting at a bus stop.”
Service runs Monday through Friday from about 7 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., which Clemons said is the time of the last pickups each day.
Riders are asked to call by 3 p.m. the day before their trip to schedule a ride, although trips can be booked weeks in advance if appointments are already set.
Clemons said the Red Bay bus is currently “pretty open” and unlikely to fill up as the service continues to build awareness in the area.
The Red Bay vehicle is a 10-passenger bus which can also accommodate two wheelchairs at the same time. The buses are ADA-compliant and equipped with wheelchair lifts.
“If someone doesn’t feel strong enough to climb the two steps that day, they can use the lift,” Clemons said. “That’s not a problem at all.”
There are no disability requirements to use the service, Clemons said. Children under age 7 must ride with a parent, but children under 7 ride free. NACOLG does not transport people who are bedbound, which Clemons said would require ambulance-level care. Fares are based on distance traveled. A local trip within or just outside Red Bay starts at $3. Costs increase in distance “rings,” with $6 and $9 tiers before rising to $2 per additional mile beyond that range.
Trips may go anywhere within NACOLG’s five-county service area, which includes Colbert, Lauderdale, Franklin, Marion and Winston counties. Riders may also travel outside the region, as long as the trip begins within one of those counties and does not cross state lines.
Clemons said the transit system is largely supported by federal funding through the Federal Transit Administration, which is distributed to rural transit providers through ALDOT under the Section 5311 program.
Beyond Red Bay, NACOLG also has drivers based in Phil Campbell and Russellville who provide rides throughout Franklin County, including transportation for senior centers, medical appointments and other needs.
Residents seeking information, or those wanting to schedule a ride, can call NACOLG Transit at 256314-0047
