During a meeting Wednesday, the Schuylkill County commissioners approved a fee-for-service contract with the Schuylkill Transportation Authority for its Medical Assistance and Human Services Development Fund transportation programs.

The MATP one-way trip rate will be $46.25; rates for HSDF and MATP senior shared-ride trips range from 55 cents for a child’s bus ticket to $76 for a shared-ride trip more than 25 miles. The contract period is July 1, through June 30, 2020.

County Administrator Gary Bender said that the MATP one-way trip rate did not change from the previous year. The HSDF and MATP senior shared rides rates changed slightly, as STS requested and received a $1 trip rate increase from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

“In fiscal year 17-18, MATP served 1,129 unduplicated clients and HSDF served five — we do dialysis only for HSDF clients,” Bender said after the meeting. “We don’t have final numbers for fiscal year 18-19 yet, but preliminary numbers are 1,303 unduplicated clients for MATP and six for HSDF.”

“This is most valuable for low-income citizens without transportation to receive their needed medical appointments and treatments,” he added. “STS is the only major transportation provider in the county and works diligently with the MATP office to assure the clients are served within the guidelines of the program.”