Leaders in Benton Harbor are waiting to find out more about the prospects for Dial A Ride as the mass transit service faces a possible loss of its insurance.
Benton Harbor City Commissioner Ron Singleton, who sits on the Dial A Ride Board, tells us the transit pool was considering dropping Dial A Ride’s insurance due to the frequency of findings in its reports, the frequency of claims, crashes, and lawsuits. If that happens, then Dial A Ride would have a couple of months to find new insurance, which would not be cheap.
Singleton says it’s “no secret that Dial A Ride has some issues” as a result of its previous administration. However, he says the current board is working hard to get it back on track.
Singleton says in Dial A Ride’s most recent triennial federal review, there were nine findings, compared to 27 findings in its previous review. So, Singleton says progress is being made. Still, he says the board faces many challenges trying to right the ship.
Singleton was waiting to learn the service’s insurance status as of Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, the transit board has its next meeting Tuesday. Singleton says if there’s a problem, it would be discussed there.
