A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday to give those in Dallas County a chance to speak out about their public transportation needs.

West Alabama Health Services Inc. is applying to the Alabama Department of Transportation for a grant in hopes it can improve the current transportation services they have serving Dallas County.

The service currently operates from Mondays to Fridays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and executive director for West Alabama Health Services Bobby Armstead, said they mostly serve Medicaid patients in Dallas County.

“We do work with the rehabilitation centers and nursing homes,” Armstead said. “And we also serve Trailways by transporting people to their hub.”

Currently, all users of the transportation service must register within 24 hours of their needed transportation service.

The fares for the service are $1 per one-way trip.

Armstead said the hearing Wednesday at 1 p.m. is to get feedback about what else the service can provide.

“A lot of times we have these public hearings you will be able to make a determination on what you can do and what’s already being done because we don’t want to duplicate,” Armstead said.

He said with transportation services, like Cahaba Mental Health Center currently operating at a high volume, he does not want to duplicate their service but simply reach other needs in town.

“We are trying to expand and what I want to try and do, is benefit more of the rural area some places,” Armstead said.

The hearing is to inform the general public of what services could be added if grant funding is awarded to West Alabama Health Services Inc. in the Dallas County area.

Armstead said to avoid duplicating current services, they created a coordinated plan and identified what each agency is doing in each county for transportation.

“If the public has any questions or wants to know anything about our transportation program, this would be a good time to do that whether its an individual or organization,” Armstead said.