By SHELLEY

HANSON

Staff Writer

MARTINS FERRY — The Ohio Valley and East Ohio Regional Transit Authorities continue to serve the region’s most vulnerable populations — senior citizens and the disabled. And it’s all in a day’s work for the drivers, mechanics and managers.

Tom Hvizdos, executive director of OVRTA and EORTA, said the bus company conducted 398,735 total trips last year.

He noted in the last fiscal year, the bus company saw about a 3.4-percent drop in ridership.

But as more places for people to shop, eat, work and live appear, the bus service will likely be used more often, he said.

In terms of funding, about 30 percent of the bus company’s budget comes from federal funding; 10-12 percent is generated at the fare box; and the majority, 60 percent, results from tax levies.

In November, voters in Ohio and West Virginia overwhelmingly approved renewal levies to keep the buses rolling.

Federal programs help the bus company purchase new buses to replace old ones.

Hvizdos said he is watching to see how the new Trump administration and Congress treat public transit funding.

“We hope they support transit and highways as well. We need the infrastructure to be in place,” he added.

In addition to the number of destinations, fuel prices also impact ridership.

For example, when gas prices get too high for people, the bus company often sees an increase in ridership by younger, non-disabled people.

And when gas gets cheaper, that same group tends to use the buses less — they start driving their own vehicles again.

Ridership by seniors and the disabled stays about the same despite economic conditions.

“People look to see where the best retail opportunities are. … People go where they need to do their shopping,” he added.

Hvizdos also is awaiting Wheeling City Council’s new ideas regarding the revitalization of the downtown.

“We’re sort of in a holding pattern right now with the new mayor and City Council. … Whether it impacts transit, we will have to wait and see,” he said.

During the daily operation of the bus company, drivers and riders must deal with issues that can impact service, such as snowy and icy roads during the winter, traffic congestion due to road work in the summer months and sudden detours due to vehicle accidents.

“Sometimes you have to adjust on the fly. You make the best decision you can based on the information available to you,” he said.

The bus service is offered from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on most routes. Fare prices include: $1.30 or 65 cents for those who are 65 years old or disabled or have a Medicare card. Monthly bus pass prices include: $42 regular and $21 special and students.

There is no service on Sundays or the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.