Fairmont-Marion transit officials pilot trial public transport service in Grafton
Oct. 23—GRAFTON — Communities in 40 different West Virginia counties have access to public transportation through the West Virginia Public Transportation Association, which operates 18 agencies across the state.
But neighboring Taylor County and its nearly 17,000 residents live outside of the WVPTA's current service areas, which limits residents' access to state-run public transportation. The county previously had a small taxi service, which has since disbanded.
Just one county over, Marion County is home to the Fairmont-Marion County Transit Authority. Founded in 1973, the FMCTA serves over 100,000 riders per year, according to its website.
The West Virginia Public Transportation Association is looking to expand its reach, and facilitate access to public transportation for residents of counties beyond its current operations.
To gauge public transportation behavior and community interest, the Association has turned to Marion County transit officials to help.
In the past two, the Association piloted a provisional public transportation service in Grafton, Taylor County's largest city and seat of county government. With a day's notice, residents of Grafton can call the FMCTA and schedule a ride anywhere in the city.
In turn, the FMCTA is providing the WVPTA with data on commuter behavior and interest, which will be used to develop future transportation service plans for Taylor County.
Filling in holes for Taylor County "was a no-brainer for us," FMCTA General Manager George Levitsky said of his agency's decision to get involved. "They have been without transportation."
The trial service will last two to three months, Levitsky said. Then, the Association will use Fairmont-Marion County Transit Authority data in an independent assessment of public transportation needs in Taylor County.
Levitsky said in the last week ridership has significantly increased because "word is getting out." While the total number of day-to-day rides has ebbed and flowed, Taylor County ridership has increased as a whole from the first to the second week.
"Passengers have been real receptive to it," Levitsky said.
While Levitsky said some individuals are disappointed the service only operates within Grafton's city limits, the program does not yet have the drivers or vehicles to reach Taylor County's more rural and remote communities.
"There's going to be a limit of what we can do," he said. But if ridership continues to grow, "then we know we may need more buses."
The FMCTA's provisional service operates daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. But their biggest finding so far has been that, with working hours varying widely from person to person, a full-fledged transportation service might need more expansive hours of operation.
For example, individuals working a night shift at the local Walmart might be able to use FMCTA shuttles to get to their workplace, but return home so late that they are outside of its service hours, Levitsky said.
This will require adjustment and further analysis from state officials, he said.
In the months ahead, the FMCTA will finalize the data it has collected and send it to the WVPTA for their assessment. Then, state transit officials will determine the best course of action to bolster transportation accessibility in Taylor County.
For Levitsky, transportation accessibility is an important issue that reaches beyond Marion County. After 21 years of service, he has witnessed firsthand the benefit of public transportation.
"People that don't have vehicles need to get to the store, need to get to the pharmacy, need to get to the doctor's office," he said. "It's a quality of life issue."
Reach Jack Walker by email at jwalker@timeswv.com.
