ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, VA (Rocktown Now) — The plan to bring on demand transportation to all of Rockingham County by Valley Interfaith Action was turned down by the Board of Supervisors.

At their meeting, District 1 Supervisor Dewey Ritchie made the motion to move forward with the plan.

“I voted yes because they met the qualifications and I’m truly for county-wide transportation. Even though I did vote for the other, and I did say at the time, I felt very, and I still feel very strongly it’s a fair decision that if one group came before us, the other could come before us,” Ritchie said.

Last month the Board of Supervisors pledged their support for an Augusta County-based group that is working to start a door-to-door transit program that would serve the Bridgewater-Dayton area.

District 5 Supervisor Joel Hensley said his biggest concern was sustainability and ethics.

“When we have on-demand, you can have a crowding. That means anybody could use the service, so someone who’s technically 17-years-old could request to go to the mall, and I don’t think that’s as important as someone in their 70s who needs to go to their doctor appointments.”

The final vote for the decision was 1 yes (Ritchie) to 4 no’s (Chandler, Longcor, Wolfe-Garrison, Hensley).