CAPTAIN Executive Direc¬
tor William Casey said he
often sees workers walking
from Halfmoon to the Clifton
Park Center mall area.
"They're doing it every
day," he said.
It's not always an easy job
in the car-centric Exit 9 area
- 94 percent of people in the
two towns drive to work.
Without service by CDTA,
those who can't afford a car
are often left with few trans¬
portation options.
Casey said some southern
Saratoga County residents
are caught in a Catch-22: If
you don't have a job, you
can't get a car; if you don't
have a car, you can't get a
job.
"The lack of transportation
creates a vicious cycle," he
said.
CAPTAIN's staff hears
many similar stories, Casey
said. A single parent gets
sick or loses their job and
can no longer support a car.
A couple breaks up and one
is suddenly without a car.
Or, perhaps the most com¬
mon, a car breaks down and
its owner simply can't afford
to fix it.
Without transportation, the
family breadwinner can't get
to work reliably, or at all, so
they often lose their job,
Casey said.
CAPTAIN gets calls for
help from workers trying to
establish themselves in a job
so they can get back on their
feet - and buy or fix a car.
The organization currently
has a van they use to help
people travel to job inter¬
views and local food
pantries. Casey said he
wants to apply for trans¬
portation grants to possibly
expand this service.
CAPTAIN offers a referral
phone line that helps fami¬
lies in need get back on
track: 371-CARE (371-2273).
Casey said CAPTAIN is
working on creating a larger
program to help people with
financial need find trans¬
portation.
While he said he'd like to
see CDTA-like transporta¬
tion, Casey said he's looking
at less traditional trans¬
portation solutions.
This is the fourth in a
series of articles focusing on
the transportation needs of
southern Saratoga County.
Next week, the final article
will focus on possible solu¬
tions for the area's trans¬
portation woes.