Driver With 1.8 Million Safe Miles Honored at Indian River Transit Board Meeting

For 29 years, Rosemary Millar has shown up — for seniors, for wheelchair users, for the developmentally disabled residents of Indian River County who have no other way to get where they need to go. On Tuesday, the Indian River County Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board showed up for her.

The board honored Millar, a driver with Senior Resource Association, for accumulating 1.8 million safe driving miles over her career — a figure that has also earned her recognition as Florida's state driver of the year twice. In nearly three decades, she has completed more than 300,000 community coach trips, officials said.

The meeting brought a second retirement recognition: Jennifer Adelette was honored for 31 years with the Indian River County School District, where she coordinated special needs transportation services.

But behind the ceremony, the board confronted harder numbers. Fuel costs have nearly doubled in recent months, climbing from $39,000 per month in March to $76,000 recently, public records show. Senior Resource Association officials said they are actively seeking additional funding sources to offset rising operational costs.

Saturday ridership jumped 24% compared to the same period last year — a surge officials attributed to rising gasoline prices pushing more residents onto public transit. Senior Resource Association reported 387,000 go-line trips last quarter, with 95% on-time performance and only five passenger complaints across all services.

The board approved updates to the Transportation Disadvantaged Service Plan that will affect what riders pay. Ambulatory trips will cost $34.68 per ride in the next fiscal year; wheelchair-accessible trips will run $59.45. New vehicle replacement schedules extend the plan through fiscal year 2028.

One program will not make it that far. The Treasure Coast Advantage Ride Program, which has served 6,000 riders with developmental disabilities across four counties over five years, will end June 30. State innovative service development grant rules prohibit renewal. Affected riders will need to apply for regular transportation disadvantaged services through their county programs, Chris Mora of Senior Resource Association said.

The stakes for that transition are significant. Nearly one in two people in Indian River County qualify for transportation disadvantaged services based on age, disability, or income — 49.8% of residents, Mark Beets of the Metropolitan Planning Organization told the board.

On the horizon, a North County Transit Hub near Sebastian River High School is slated to break ground in early 2027. The facility will connect four bus routes and include restrooms and covered waiting areas. Federal transit grants will cover 100% of capital costs, officials said.

The board also approved a $2,922.37 planning grant reimbursement invoice for the quarter ending March 31.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.