Rural Missouri Transit Service Could Lose State Funding

A nonprofit transportation provider in Missouri offers a lifeline for many rural residents who use the service to get to medical appointments and other daily needs.

In a piece for The Daily Yonder, Kaitlyn McConnell describes the history of OATS Transit, which started over half a century ago and offers low-cost, on-demand transportation subsidized by grants, private donations, and government funding. “When its first three buses rolled out in 1971, its focus was older adults, but many years ago the service opened to all: The original name Older Americans Transportation Service shifted to the current Operating Above the Standard.”

More than just mobility, the program offers community: “By having providers like OATS, riders not only have the chance to visit places where they can find connections, like at the senior center, but also build friendships with fellow riders,” McConnell writes.

Now, state funding for the program, which keeps fares within the county under $5, could be in jeopardy. Next year’s proposed state budget would reduce funding for the program by $5 million. Dorothy Yeager, executive director of OATS Transit, says the funding is “a good investment” that helps bring in additional federal funding.

McConnell points out that “Whatever happens with the state budget, the bottom line is that rural options for transportation are important. They provide a crucial resource if we want to help keep people at home in rural parts of the country, whether that’s the Ozarks or another region.”