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New bus program helps Moline Township families with school transportation

Getting to school on the bus is about to become a little easier for some families in Moline. It’s all thanks to a new program brought on by some recent sc...

MOLINE, Illinois — Getting to school on the bus is about to become a little easier for some families in Moline. It's all thanks to a new program brought on by some recent school closures.

The brand new program in the Moline Township started up thanks in large part to the closures of Ericsson and Garfield Elementary schools. Students now have to take the bus to get to a new school, and that can be expensive for some area families.

After the schools closed, Moline Township Supervisor Don Johnston immediately got calls about families struggling to find a new way to get their kids to school. Once he heard that the State of Illinois was picking up the expenses for the senior and disabled transportation program, money became available to fund what he calls a very necessary program to families through the township.

"A lot of them didn't have the ability to buy bus tickets. Some of them, we understand, were trading food for bus tickets. In other words, not buying food because they had to get their kids to school," Johnston said.

Johnston says that he's extremely happy that the township is able to help out families that need it the most.

"Frankly, that's our job in townships. We're the closest government organization to the people and we look for ways to help," Johnston said.

Families can qualify by getting an application at the Moline Township offices. If they're approved, they'll get one bus ticket per child and it will be free. The application will lead to a reduced fee per ticket for the township, equaling around 40 cents for each ticket.

The program will run through the end of this school year and start up again next fall.

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