A city official (likely the mayor or a council member) delivered a brief speech during a rainy ceremony to express gratitude to the Passaic County Commissioners for launching the "Passaic County Move" on-demand microtransit app. The service, designed to complement existing public transit in Passaic and Clifton, was hailed as a game-changer for residents with limited vehicle access. The official highlighted key demographics and statistics to underscore the need for affordable transportation, reiterated support for county and state partnerships, and called for future expansion across New Jersey.
So I want to be brief because it is raining, but I want to take the opportunity once again to thank uh not only uh my former running mate, a colleague, a friend, a remarkable leader here in the county, but the entire county commissioners for driving this forward. Those keeping count, that's the first pun in terms of the driving. I know it takes a lot of wheeling and dealing, that's the second pun. I'll end it there. And I'll get to the serious stuff. The Pasai County Move, which is an on-demand app base for Michael Transit service designed to complement the existing public transit and provide travel options within Passake and Clifton is a huge game changer for our residents. This initiative reflects our commitment to addressing the transportation challenges faced by the residents of the city of Pasik. Vehicle ownership in Pasake is about 82% of households have one or less vehicles. 54% own one vehicle, and 28% of households do not own a vehicle in our most densely populated city in our area. Our population density with over 22,000 residents per square mile, puts Passake ranking at 12th amongst the most densely populated cities in the United States, intensifying the demand for transit. Our demographics, approximately 73% of our population, which identifies as Hispanic or Latino, are in great need of moving around, not just within the city but around the county. Again, I'll reiterate this makes a huge difference and it is an incredible blessing. We see this as a complimentary initiative to our initiatives, such as our UEZ Shuttle Bus, which allows free shuttle operating between Monday and Friday throughout our entire city at specific areas in every ward and our brand new bike share program, which launched in April, featuring 25 bikes across five docking stations throughout our city in every ward. Again, allow me to share the importance and how appreciative I am with the county of Passake to partner with you and our sister city of Clifton, New Jersey. When you consider the need for transportation, whether it's to make it to an appointment medical or otherwise, to go shopping, just to move around. This service, this low-cost service that will provide transportation opportunities to families in the city of Pasaic and Clifton is huge, and we've seen this approach by our city to make sure that services in partnership with the county expand and reach every single member of our city. Look, it begs the question is this competition for other ride share programs or apps. And I would propose to you it's not because the individuals that will most benefit from this perhaps cannot afford to call some of these apps. They can't afford to pay the eight or ten or twenty dollars to make it from one city to another. So sometimes they skip these very important appointments. And not only these appointments for medical coverage or to go shopping, but perhaps they miss out on the opportunity to visit a loved one, a family member, or to enjoy one of our many beautiful parks here in the city of Pasai or in the city of Clifton, which you have seen incredible enhancements because of the county's commitment to serve our city. So I want to thank obviously the Passake County Commissioners. Alright, via this partnership, you can see these services increase. And if I may thank you, seven minutes, he lets me know when the jokes are done when he gives me that expression. Thank you for this opportunity to say a few words. Thank you all very much. Thank you. After so many individuals started sharing it on social media, we saw those numbers drastically go up. And that makes a big difference. Just to give some perspective. And having this start in Persakin Clifton is huge. We would love to see this expand. Not just throughout the entire county, for all 16 municipalities, but throughout the entire state of New Jersey. That's why I want to highlight again and thank Assemblyman Sher for his work as well as working with our Congresswoman. We want to see more funding because transportation makes all of the difference in our county.