Johnson County will reduce public transportation barriers in our community and provide reliable transportation to more residents by expanding SEATS on-demand services. The expansion is a result of Johnson County’s investment of funds received from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The Board of Supervisors voted to allocate $400,526 toward the service expansion.

The Johnson County SEATS Department provides rides to older adults, people with disabilities, and individuals who experience difficulties with daily public transportation. Existing services are not able to help hundreds of county residents who do not have reliable public transportation access and are not eligible for paratransit.

Through the ARPA investment, SEATS will purchase an electric bus to provide environmentally-conscious transportation. In cooperation with Johnson County’s Mobility Coordinator, the funding will also help to serve residents who:

• request same-day service;
• are waiting to become eligible to ride paratransit;
• are unfamiliar with local transportation options;
• are in need of temporary transportation to medical care; or
• are unable to afford transportation alternatives.

Additionally, SEATS staffing and hours of operation will expand to reach all of Johnson County from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days a week.

More information about SEATS is available at www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/seats.

Johnson County is committed to utilizing ARPA to enhance investments in public services and maximize the impacts of our local fiscal recovery allocation. The County's ARPA Leadership Team has been working since February 2021 to research and discuss the many aspects of this funding. Johnson County solicited public input from May to October 2021 using a series of online surveys and tools as well as six in-person public input sessions that were held throughout the County.

More information about ARPA and how it impacts Johnson County is available at https://www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/arpa.