By Maya Betti, News Intern
Editor’s Note: Here on KYMN, we’re taking a closer look at transportation, parking, and infrastructure in Northfield. In the first part of this series, we explored the issues of parking at St. Olaf College. Now we move our focus to public transit in Northfield.
- Part I – Parking pressure grows at St. Olaf, Council approves small fix amid bigger questions
- Partt II – Students and residents alike express concerns over current parking situation at St. Olaf
- Part III – The Routing Company launches new partnership with Northfield Lines, new public transportation option for the community
In rural Minnesota, getting to school, work, or even a doctor’s appointment isn’t always simple. Public transportation options are limited, and for many, that can mean real barriers to daily life.
That’s where Three Rivers Community Action comes in. The nonprofit serves Wabasha, Rice, Goodhue, and Olmsted counties, helping people move toward self-sufficiency. One of its most visible services is Hiawathaland Transit.
Co-director of Transportation Tracy Borgschatz says the buses make life more accessible for people of all ages.
“We see anyone and everyone. We have preschool age and then younger with an adult, all teh way up to 100 plus. Every area is maybe a litte bit different with the primary demographic taht we see, but we see people for a wide wage range of reasons, like you mentioned at the beginning, medical appointments, school, doctor’s appointments,” – Co-director of Transportation Tracy Borgschatz
In Northfield, one group of people Three Rivers helps support is the students at both colleges, Carleton College and St. Olaf College.
“Student here in St. Olaf and Carleton that utilize the bus to get out or whether it’s just oh to get out or to go do shopping or to get even between the two colleges is just crazy,” – Co-director of Transportation Tracy Borgschatz
Their largest buss, a class 500 that can seat between 26 to 28 passengers is typically standing-room only every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening.
Besides just students, Three Rivers also serves families needing to get to work or to daycare providers and senior citizens who need to travel to regularly scheduled medical appointments.
H0owever, meeting all these needs can be difficult. Three Rivers consistently struggles to find and retain qualified drivers. As well, reaching people in rural areas can be difficult. Narrow highways and isolated locations often make it unsafe for buses to stop.
To bridge that gap, Three Rivers also runs a volunteer transportation program. Volunteers use their own cars to get people where they need to go — even as far as Rochester or the Twin Cities.
Borgschatz says one Wabasha County volunteer drove so many miles, her total equaled a trip around the entire planet.
“It was insane for one person to travel that amount with just our volunteer porgram. That’s not her doing her own outings and htigns that she needs to do on her own. That was just the mileage she locked in with us,” – Co-director of Transportation Tracy Borgschatz
Still, challenges remain — from driver shortages to the sheer distance of serving rural communities, the work at Three Rivers is on-going.
Continue to check back in with KYMN as we continue following the conversation around rural transportation.
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