ESCANABA — Following the announcement that Escanaba’s only remaining taxi company, JN Taxi, will be closing its doors this month, the Delta Area Transit Authority has announced it intends to fill the service gaps for as many residents as possible — but the authority faces challenges of its own.

“We’re aware we can’t handle all of the transportation 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said DATA Executive Director John Stapleton, who described JN Taxi as a “good partner” that covered many of the transportation needs DATA was unable to meet, such as late night or weekend transit, rides to the airport, and trips to Iron Mountain or other areas outside the county.

DATA will hold the first of a series of community meetings on May 13 from noon to 1 p.m. at the Northern Lights YMCA to discuss what needs will be unmet in the community following the taxi company’s closure. A second evening meeting for those unable to attend the mid-day meeting is being planned.

DATA is also contracting with the Central Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Regional Commission (CUPPAD) to conduct a needs study. That study will focus not only on community needs but also on the needs of the authority itself to provide those services.

Like other public transit systems across the state, DATA has lost about 25% of its state funding over the last three years, while costs continue to rise due to inflation.

“That’s really put a burden in our local communities for how much service we can offer,” said Stapleton of funding reductions and inflationary pressures.

Historically, the difference between state funding and a transit authority’s budget in Michigan has been offset through local millages, though there are a few outliers that bridge the gap using appropriations from counties or cities. Those outliers include the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority (EUPTA), which is funded in part by a county appropriation, and the public transportation system serving the Houghton/Hancock area, which is funded by city appropriations.

“I don’t believe that the city of Escanaba or the city of Gladstone or Delta County has enough funds at their disposal to put towards transportation expansions right now. … They’re struggling in their budgets now,” said Stapleton.

Currently, DATA serves a select group of communities in the county that have voted to pay for service through millages. That means residents of the cities of Escanaba and Gladstone and Bay de Noc, Bark River, Brampton, Ensign, Ford River, and Masonville townships have access to service, but residents of other townships, like Wells, do not.

Even for residents of a millage-supporting community, the times when rides are available are limited. Currently, rides are only available between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., excluding holidays. That leaves Friday nights and weekends unserved.

A few ideas have been suggested for how DATA could meet this need. One plan is to adjust the bus schedule to make buses available later in the day or on the weekend, but that could mean riders who utilize DATA during its current hours could be left without a ride.

“To be clear, we have days of the week and days of the month where we’re at capacity now — where by one o’clock or two o’clock in the afternoon, we don’t have any more available openings to get people home from doctor’s appointments or to work sometimes unless they book them early,” said Stapleton.

Other options include looking for additional funding. Stapleton said he is working to see if the Michigan Department of Transportation will open up access to funds from the Job Access and Reverse Commute Program (JARC). These funds would allow DATA to offer more work-related transportation services, but typically can only be applied for during certain enrollment period. MDOT has, however, opened the funds up for specific programs in the past outside of those windows when a need has been demonstrated.

“We’ll definitely put a request all the way up to the top of MDOT passenger transportation and ask them, you know, to please consider that, especially based on the needs that are here,” Stapleton said.

Additional millages to support DATA services are also likely, but any new millages that aren’t renewals are not expected to hit the ballot until at least next year.

In the fall, a few communities that already support DATA, including Escanaba and Gladstone, will be asked to renew their existing millages. Stapleton said that asking residents to support a county-wide millage — just one of the proposals on the table — could be confusing and lead to residents not supporting proposals they might otherwise consider.

Beyond the mixed messaging, changes to the millage rate are less likely to pass than renewals in general. Because the amount approved in November cannot be levied till the following year, a rejection of DATA this fall would mean no funds could be collected until 2027. On a wide enough scale, Stapleton said that could shut down DATA entirely.

At this point, Stapleton stressed the authority is working to connect with members of the community as well as other agencies and community cornerstones, such as OSF St. Francis Hospital, to assess where the most pressing needs are for residents. It is also looking at how other neighboring transit authorities operate to see how similar needs are met in other communities.

“I think we can work on something that’s going to be workable. I really do,” he said, adding it will likely take time to implement any changes.

“It’s a tough road, but it’s not insurmountable,” he said.