Businessman to start free transportation service

The owner of a local transportation service has started a nonprofit company that will provide free door-to-door transportation for Maricopa residents who are 60 and older, disabled, federally defined as low income or who are seeking work.

Udoamaka Obiekea, aka Mr. Peace, owner and operator of Maricopa Transportation Services Inc., announced at last night’s city council meeting he is holding a grand opening ceremony for his nonprofit enterprise, Copa Shuttle, on Aug. 8, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

The event will be held at the Red Business Barn, 19428 N. John Wayne Parkway. There will be door prizes and refreshments, Obiekea said.

Obiekea has been operating a for-profit shuttle, taxi and limo service in Maricopa for four years. He transports riders to Chandler, Ahwatukee, Sky Harbor International Airport and other locations.

Obiekea wrote in an email he would sometimes help low-income families in Maricopa get to the city’s Park and Ride or to their jobs for little or no fare. Though the city has a local public transportation system, Comet, he said that the city disenfranchised low-income job seekers and workers by starting the Comet service, hours after the Maricopa Express (MAX), which is supposed to take people out of Maricopa for work, had left town.

He said his service would provide advance-reservation transportation to medical appointments, shopping, work and job interviews.

Obiekea said he is currently funding his nonprofit through his own resources, but hopes to receive funds from the city of Maricopa, Gila River Indian Community, state government and federal government.

 

In his email he said he anticipates serving more than 11,000 customers in the first year and to providing at least one round trip daily to downtown Phoenix and Casa Grande.

 

His long-term vision is to provide service to every city in Pinal County.

For more information, call 520-413-7911, email [email protected]  or visit www.maricopatrans.org.