Show Trans Flex-Trans helps the handicapped A Y Yr r sp y it wwi Terry Birch Staff Writer Imagine being disabled in ina ina a wheel chair and not being able to go where you want to go Now disabled people in wheel chairs can go where they want according to student student student stu stu- stu- stu dent Linda Bitner iI in a speech given on Friday April 21 at Not long ago very few buses had the facilities to actually actually actually ac ac- ac- ac lift your wheel chair up upon upon upon on the bus Transportation is very important porta t to be disabled person They need to get places just like everyone else said Bitner Utah Transit Authority has come up with an idea that solves the transportation problem for the disabled They introduced Flex The idea of Trans Flex-Trans a whole new concept began in 1973 The 1973 Rehabilitation tion Act stated that federally funded transportation must accommodate the disabled Bitner said Back then the money nor the interest just wasn't available When the American Public Transit Association won its case in court money was appropriated for public buses for the disabled Finally Finally Finally Final Final- ly in May 1988 UTA A A received enough federal money and enough public assistance to get the Flex- Flex Trans rolling in Utah UTA is now using 15 Flex- Flex Trans daily Hundreds of disabled disabled disabled dis dis- dis- dis people ride Trans Flex-Trans every day enabling them to tofi fi finally ally get away from their homes Bitner said Bitner said that to register the disabled need to fill out a form and send it in Whenever they need a ride they call Trans Flex-Trans a week a aday aday aday day or a couple of hours ahead of time Trans Flex-Trans picks them up at side curb-side and delivers them whenever and wherever they need to go The driver helps them on and off the bus all for 50 cents Bitner said It is one of the few public assisted programs that you can actually actually ac ac- see work At t the end of her speech her audience viewed on the north side of the Technology Building what a Flex Trans Flex Trans vehicle can an do |