(Photo provided) People attend a meeting regarding plans for a public transit system in Wetzel, Tyler, Marshall, Pleasants and Doddridge Counties.

Work to create a brand new public transit system for four counties – Wetzel, Tyler, Marshall, Pleasants and Doddridge – is underway.

Tom Cooper, director of the Tyler County Emergency Management Agency, said funding for the system will be covered in part by each county commission and federal transportation funding.

Cooper said the need for such a system is great in the region. Cooper said he often receives calls from people needing help with transportation. Since he serves on the Tyler County Family Resource Network board, he often refers people to that agency for help. The FRN, he noted, was a driving force behind the need for public transportation.

Cooper said there are many people who either cannot afford to drive or who are not able to drive because of health issues. But they still need to get to the store, doctor’s appointments and more. Not everyone has family and friends they can ask for help with transportation. And other forms of transportation, such as cabs or ride sharing apps, are often too expensive or not reliable enough for people to depend on.

Discussions about the need for public transportation began months ago among a group of local officials and social service agencies including FRNs, and this helped set the work in motion to start a transit system.

Cooper said the counties involved have agreed to try the system for at least three years, as it will take time to get the word out to people that it is available and then people will have to adjust their schedules to the available ride times.

RLS & Associates Inc. of Dayton and the West Virginia Department of Transportation hosted meetings to gather feedback from residents about the service and potential routes. To offer feedback, residents can still call RLS at 937-299-5007 or Cooper at 304-758-5155.

“It won’t have to rely on levies at this point; the counties are looking at funding it. For them, it’s not that big a deal. Even if it’s $100,000 it would only cost the county $50,000,” Cooper said. “At this point, they’re planning to purchase 10 new vehicles, not big buses. They’re looking at two types of vans.”

Cooper said all the vehicles will be wheelchair accessible. He noted the vans would likely not run five days per week as the more hours it runs, the more expensive it will be to operate.

He said they also want to keep the fare to ride low. For example, $1 or $2; however, a family who cannot afford the van fare would be able to get tokens for free from FRNs.

“Timewise we’re running at full blast,” Cooper said of getting the service going. “We’re going as fast as we can. The design firm (RLS) knows the details and costs and can look at how many people don’t have a car, and can scour that information and find routes most feasible.”

Cooper said the goal is to have the studies complete to get an accurate dollar amount as county commissions need that for their budgeting purposes.

He added another goal is to incorporate senior center vans to be used for those who are on Medicaid.

Cooper said it is estimated that the service could be up and running by next year.

“The vans could be on the road next January,” he said. “Each county will have an equal say. A director will have to be hired and there may be other positions hired, too.”

Cooper noted while tax money will mainly be used to support the service, the money is being spent on helping all local residents including those in need. And while they are out and about, many of those people will be spending their money in the communities.

“It’s a way to help the poorest of the poor, and the rich people can hop right on in the same van and ride with them,” he said.

Wetzel County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sharon Campbell said when the initial committee of people got together to talk about issues in Wetzel and Tyler counties, there were three main challenges brought up – lack of affordable child care, lack of affordable housing, and transportation.

“Transportation was the one that rose to the top,” she said. “It looks like we’re going to get this and it’s exciting. … Possible routes are being designed. Once they’re laid out and agreed upon, we will do more meetings for input. It’s going to happen now.”