Blue Water Area Transit rolls out pilot program, “Missed the Bus, Just Call Us!”

Blue Water Area Transportation Commission (BWAT) recently rolled out a new pilot program designed to help local students who miss their school bus or face transportation challenges get to and from school free of charge.

Funded entirely by an anonymous donor, BWAT began offering the “Missed the Bus, Just Call Us!” service on April 12. The program is available on any school day to Port Huron Area School District junior or high school students within Blue Water Area Transit's designated service area which encompasses the City of Port Huron, Port Huron Township, Fort Gratiot Township, and Burtchville Township.

“We want to take away any impediments kids would have in getting to school basically, if a kid misses a bus or if a parent is sick in the morning, just where something happens at home and they can’t get their regular ride to school,” says Lee-Perry Belleau, Community & Labor Relations for BWAT. “So we’re going to do this pilot program and see what kind of interest it generates.”

Blue Water Area Transit Center, located at 720 McMorran Blvd. in Port Huron, Michigan.Belleau says another advantage to the program is the benefit for students participating in after-school extracurricular activities.

“If they want to stay for a club, sports, band, or theater, they may need to stay after school for those things,” Belleau says. “This gives them an opportunity to be in those events or programs and still get home after school.”

To use the service, students will need to contact Blue Water Area Transit’s dispatch center at (810) 987-7373 and select option #2 at the voice prompt to inform the dispatcher about their need for a ride to or from school. Based on their location, students will either be picked up at home or directed to the nearest line run for a connection.

For more information about Blue Water Area Transit and the program, visit bwbus.com.