Shuttle service starting between Honesdale and Hawley area to be tested for two weeks

Peter Becker, Tri-County Independent
·5 min read

A two-week test run of a regular public shuttle service between Honesdale and the Hawley area is set to begin Friday, Oct. 4.

For the first two weeks, at least, passengers will be able to ride the looping system for $5 for the whole day, with two departures from Honesdale and 16 stops from Honesdale to Tafton.

The service, hosted by Time Away Transportation, of Honesdale, is an initiative of the Wayne Tomorrow! Transportation Task Force. Wayne Tomorrow!, a collaboration of community stakeholders facilitated by the Wayne County commissioners, conducted a community survey focusing on local transportation.

This shuttle is being run by a private business and will not use county vehicles, Commissioner Brian Smith stressed.

Matthew Harms, co-owner of the business with his brother Chris Harms, said that the service is subject to change as they determine interest level and viability of the stops and estimated arrival and departure times.

Presently, he said, they plan to operate Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with two loops, departing in Honesdale at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Each full loop is estimated to take a little over two hours.

The schedule includes departures from the Honesdale Family Health Center (Stourbridge Mall) on Maple Avenue and going as far as Pinnacle Family Health Center on Route 507 in Tafton. They estimate reaching Pinnacle at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., with returns to Honesdale Family Health Center at 9:05 a.m. and 5:20 p.m.

Inaugural fares, Matthew Harms said, are $5 per person per day for unlimited rides, or a weekly rate of $20 for seven days from the date of purchase. Passengers may pay the driver with cash, credit card, Venmo or PayPal.

Prices could fluctuate, he said, depending on their volume of ridership in order to cover expenses.

Time Away Transportation, based in Honesdale, plans to use this 14-foot passenger transit van for the trial period of the new shuttle service between Honesdale and Tafton. The van is shown in front of the Hawley Silk Mill. The trial period begins Oct. 4, 2024.
Time Away Transportation, based in Honesdale, plans to use this 14-foot passenger transit van for the trial period of the new shuttle service between Honesdale and Tafton. The van is shown in front of the Hawley Silk Mill. The trial period begins Oct. 4, 2024.

The cost to provide the service is not subsidized, Matthew Harms stated. He added that an aim as part of this private-public partnership is to find public funding through a partnership with the county to be able to make the service affordable to more residents.

Wayne County Chief Financial Officer Vicki Botjer said this partnership would be with state or federal agencies.

Botjer said, "The goal of the pilot is to establish users and routes and payment sources…. Workforce Alliance has some funding to pay for certain individuals for work transportation, some employers have stepped up to provide some support for employees. Wayne County Drug Court has some funding to assist participants. Just for a few initial target populations."

"Ideally, we would love to have a vehicle starting at 7 a.m. in Hawley and running a route to Honesdale, while the other vehicle starts in Honesdale and runs the route to Hawley and make that available seven days a week continuously from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.," Matthew Harms said.

Chris Harms added, "This is something the people of Wayne County have wanted for a long time. It is [cost] prohibitive to take a single ride. We are also a taxi service… private shuttle service and a black car service." Time Away Transportation was started in January 2024.

Derek Williams, co-chair of the Transportation Task Force and Honesdale's mayor, commented, "Access to transportation can be a barrier to employment and housing for many folks in our area. Increasing transportation options can add to the quality of life in our neighborhoods." He added that the more ways people can access the many destinations on the Honesdale-Hawley Route 6 corridor, "the easier it becomes for people to live, work, shop, and play here."

"Enhancing access with a fixed route shuttle helps fill a transportation gap that can increase daily opportunities for everybody," Williams said. He stated that he can envision this system eventually connecting west with the County of Lackawanna Transit System public transportation services in Carbondale that would allow for bus rides to Scranton and beyond, and east to the Delaware River and NJ Transit in Port Jervis, New York, for train connections.

Williams said that focusing first on the Route 6 corridor is the Task Force's way to build momentum.

"When Time Away Transportation was looking to invest in the community with a fixed route shuttle, the Transportation Task Force was poised to help them make the most of their investment, knowing that they were looking to add something new to the area," Williams stated. "In short, things like this pop up after years of discussion among countless stakeholders prepares the community to make some hay when the sun shines."

Schedule of stops

Updates to the schedule of stops will be posted on timeawaytransportation.com and on their Facebook page. For more information, call 570-464-6250.

The company announced the following pilot schedule:

  • 1st shuttle stop: 7 a.m. (return 9:05 a.m.), 4 p.m. (return 5:20 p.m.) - Honesdale Family Health Center

  • 2nd: 7:03 a.m. (8:57 a.m.), 4:07 p.m. (5:57 p.m.) - Wayne Memorial Hospital

  • 3rd: 7:07 a.m. 7:07 a.m. (no return stop), 4:07 p.m. (no return stop) - Fred Miller Pavilion

  • 4th: 7:12 a.m. (8:49), 4:12 p.m. (5:49) - Dave's Super Duper

  • 5th: 7:17 a.m. (8:45), 4:17 p.m. (5:45) - DG Nicholas Plaza

  • 6th: 7:21 a.m. (Weis Market)/ return 8:38 a.m. (Walmart), 4:21 p.m. (Weis Market)/ return 5:38 p.m. (Walmart)

  • 7th: 7:25 a.m. (8:35), 4:25 p.m. (5:35) - Kost Tire & Auto Service

  • 8th: 7:28 a.m. (8:32), 4:28 p.m. (5:32) - Balance Gymnastics, White Mills

  • 9th: 7:34 a.m. (8:27), 4:34 p.m. (5:27) - Bingham Park, Hawley (Borough building)

  • 10th: 7:37 a.m. (8:24), 4:37 p.m. (5:24) - Hawley Senior Center

  • 11th: 7:41 a.m. (8:19), 4:41 (5:19) - Hawley Silk Mill

  • 12th: 7:44 a.m. (8:16), 4:44 p.m. (5:16) - Paupack Watering Hole

  • 13th: 7:49 a.m. (8:13), 4:49 p.m. (5:13) - Lake Region IGA

  • 14th: 7:53 a.m. (8:10), 4:53 p.m. (5:10) - Lake Wallenpaupack Visitors Center/Public Beach)

  • 15th: 7:57 a.m. (8:05), 4:57 p.m. (5:05) - The Dock/Silver Birches

  • 16th: 8 a.m., 5 p.m. - Pinnacle Family Health Center

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Time Away Transportation testing Honesdale-Tafton shuttle service