NEC’s Tribal Transit Program provides public transportation to Nome residents and visitors, covering approximately four square miles of downtown Nome. Services have been on hold since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but plans are being made to resume services in the future.
When operating, our transit program serves all Nome residents as well as travelers passing through town. These include residents of regional communities who are visiting or traveling through the hub community of Nome to reach other communities in the state.
Our 2015 16-passenger bus, equipped with a life, is Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. Our drivers follow an established route but have flexibility to provide door-to-door service within a reasonable range at their discretion.
Transit schedules in the past have been based around typical work schedules, providing morning, lunchtime, and evening service Monday through Friday.
Our program provides access to services critical to the survival of the Alaska Native culture. We focus our public transportation efforts on the areas of employment, job-training, social services, low-income housing, licensed childcare providers, local public schools, continuing education, health care, and grocery stores. Route stops typically include apartments and other residential areas, the post office, businesses, senior housing, health care facilities, schools, grocery stores, and churches.
In the future we may add after-school hours, pre-scheduled service for special weekend events, or seasonal routes for summer subsistence activities.