http://www.oatstransit.org/news/40-years-of-service-to-rural-missourians
September 7, 2011
This year marks the 40th anniversary of OATS, Inc. and a journey filled with assisting hundreds of thousands of rural Missourians meet their transportation needs and maintain their independence.
OATS, Inc. was founded in 1971 by a group of senior 
citizens who identified a need for public transportation, especially in rural areas of the state. Over the years, due to support from donors, volunteers and legislators, OATS has grown to be one of the largest and most unique transportation systems in the country, and now serves more than 31,000 people. OATS has also expanded their services to include a wide variety of riders including seniors, those with disabilities and those with financial struggles who are in need of transportation assistance for medical, business and essential shopping.
In the past year alone, OATS has provided nearly 1,630,000 one-way trips with a staff of 730 people and a fleet of over 800 vehicles. OATS continues to embrace the volunteer spirit, with more than 1,200 donating their time throughout OATS’ 87-county service region. To celebrate their many successes since 1971, approximately 800 of those volunteers and guests will gather in Columbia, Missouri for a celebration and appreciation of volunteers on September 28 for lunch, entertainment and addresses by such distinguished speakers as:
- Dale Marsico of Washington DC, Executive Director of the Community Transportation Associate of America (CTAA)
- Mokhtee Ahmad, Regional Administrator for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Region VII
- Michelle Teel, newly appointed Multimodal Operations Director of the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT)
- Peter Schauer, OATS’ first General Manager
- Keynote Speaker, Coach Tom Krause
OATS would like to extend a special thanks to their major sponsors for their donations which have helped to make this celebration event possible: Boone County National Bank, Graves & Associates CPAs and Penkse.
For those who have depended on OATS services for the past 40 years, this milestone is momentous. Riders say OATS’ transportation has allowed them to maintain a level of independence and dignity, to get where they need to go without relying on family and friends, to stay in their homes longer and to have an overall better quality of life.
Linda Yaeger, Executive Director for OATS attributes much of OATS growth and success to the people who ride. “The folks we serve don’t sit back waiting for someone to do it for them. They instead are willing to help cause it to happen.”