What You Don’t Know About Mountain Line

After 31 years of serving Morgantown, Mountain Line Transit Authority still manages to surprise.

Mountain Line Transit Authority (MLTA) saw a ridership of over 650,000 last year, yet CEO Maria Smith says there are still so many things that people should learn about its services. Buckle up, because we’re taking you on a ride of fun facts. 

1. Nervous about riding a bus for the first time? Mountain Line offers Travel Training. The mobility coordinator will join you for your first ride and advise you at every step of the process.
2. With a completed Deviation Request Form, a phone call at least 15 minutes in advance, and an additional 50 cents, the bus will deviate from its route up to three-quarters of a mile to pick you up or drop you off.
3. Sometimes the trackers on the Mountain Line Bus Finder app lag, but Smith says they’ll be getting a facelift within the next year. Until then, if the app seems off to you, give the terminal a call, and they’ll update you on a bus’s location and ETA.
4. If you rent, own, or work in Morgantown, then you probably qualify for the free Property Tax Bus Pass. It rewards taxpayers while encouraging the use of public transit. 
5. The average ride costs MLTA around $10, yet its 75-cent fare hasn’t increased since it opened in 1995. What else can you buy with quarters, nowadays?
6. The previous points might have you wondering why MLTA doesn’t drop the fares altogether and give Morgantown a free public transit system. You’re not alone—Smith
   says she gets that question a lot.
   We’ll explain:
         The $10 ride expense is offset by contracts with groups like WVU and West Run Apartments. Also, local fares allow it to draw on federal funds. If Mountain Line adopted a 100% free transit system, it would lose all of
   that funding.
         Plus, Smith says free transit in some cities has led to poor treatment of bus drivers and infrastructure. 
7. MLTA supports the community in more ways than you might realize.
   One such effort was its recent partnership with 10 social service agencies and the Mon County Commission on the Social Service Transportation Bridge Funding Pilot Program. Through data collection, the program might decrease transportation costs for the agencies from upwards of $65,000 to just under $27,000. Read more about that on our website!

Next time you need to run an errand, save on gas and mileage while supporting public transportation—grab a few quarters and hail a Mountain Line bus. 691 Fairmont Road, Westover, busride.org, 304.291.7433

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