The Baker College Center for Transportation Technology located at 1717 S. Dort Highway in Flint has a new owner. The Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) recently purchased the property for $1.3 million.
This site houses five buildings for a total of 76,000 square feet, with the largest building along the Dort Highway corridor at 23,000 square feet. A company spokesperson said the building will be renovated and house the Rides to Wellness program currently operated by the MTA utilizing a large variety of cars, vans, and mini-buses. The site will provide for expansion of the car fleet, which is anticipated to grow to 120-150 cars and other small vehicles.
“The purchase of the Baker site will provide the necessary structure for plan growth in our new on demand innovative services that will better address the needs in our community today and prepare us for the near future,” said Ed Benning, MTA General Manager/CEO.
In August 2018, the Rides to Wellness program provided over 9,200 one-way medical trips and the ridership was up 69% compared to the same month one year ago. Current projections anticipate 1,000 passengers per day utilizing Rides to Wellness by summer of 2019 and up to 2,000 passengers per day by the fall of 2020. The Rides to Wellness service provided by the MTA is health and wellness demand service. The MTA is leading the nation with this innovation, specifically since same day service has been added. Same day service provides service within a target of 30 minutes.
The MTA will lease one of the buildings, approximately 11,000 sq. ft., to The Disability Network (TDN) of Genesee County. The Disability Network and the MTA will partner for a number of services including precertification for passengers applying for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) status, travel training, passenger assistance training, and a number of new innovative programs including call center training.
