Meet Nadiya Al-Noor from Columbia, MO. The Missouri Public Transit Association is highlighting the faces of Missouri transit. Nadiya utilizes public transit for trips to and from work and doctors’ appointments. She utilizes micro transit and on-demand services as part of her daily commute.
However, Nadiya continues to advocate for additional transit service especially paratransit service in her area, “Because it is so limited, I can only use it to go to work and doctors. I would love to use it for grocery shopping, but it is hard with my work schedule, including weekends. Sometimes I have to cancel doctor’s appointments because I arrive one hour early or two, and then wait an hour or two for pickup. That is half the workday, just dealing with transit,” said Al-Noor.
Currently, the GoCOMO services offered save Nadiya significant costs of transportation. Since COVID, GoCOMO has suspended actual fares. An Uber would be significantly more expensive if Al-Noor had to rely on that service to get from place to place.
“Investment in transportation is an investment in the lives of disabled people. Today I stand up for the 1.5 million disabled adults in Missouri who deserve better. 1.5 million Missourians who want to contribute to society. We want to work, but we need a ride. We want to go to worship, but we need a ride. We want to be integrated into our communities, but we need a ride. We need a ride. We need a ride,” added Al-Noor.