A rider exits while another waits to board an Access Johnson County bus at the Franklin Walmart in this 2021 file photo.
Daily Journal file photo
Access Johnson County is offering rides for essential travel only under shortened hours on the day of the total solar eclipse.
The county public transportation service is expecting long traffic jams of three to nine hours in the hours leading up to following the eclipse on April 8. Officials made the decision to restrict rides that day for passenger and driver safety, the organization said in a social media post.
Access Johnson County will operate from 6:15 a.m. to noon April 8. Rides that day must also be for essential travel only. Anyone who needs a ride that day will need to schedule it by noon April 5. None of the connecting buses will be operating their usual routes but will operate as a demand response service, the post continued.
Access Johnson County Public Transit and Gateway Services, Inc. will also be offering up eclipse parking at their Franklin office, 3500 N. Morton St., to raise money for building renovations. Spots will sell for $50, including the use of grassy areas to view the eclipse, water and bathrooms.
Money raised will go toward the building project and count toward the $60,000 the organization is raising for their Dancing with the Johnson County Stars 2024 appearance.
