More than 250 OATS riders and drivers will be at the State Capitol next Tuesday to talk TRANSIT and TRANSIT Funding in MO. Last year, OATS provided 1,500,339 one-way trips in 87 counties. Forty percent of all those trips were for employment. The remaining 60% of trips were for medical, essential shopping, nutrition and other miscellaneous purposes. Not only does OATS get people to work it creates jobs. OATS employs more than 600 drivers in MO communities. Last year, a fleet of 700 vehicles traveled 14,007,423 miles in Missouri.
OATS members will be talking transit funding next week with Missouri legislators. Missouri’s per capita spending on transit is $0.17 compared to $0.40 – $4.09 or higher in surrounding states. In the long run, OATS is asking for restoration of Transit Operating Assistance to the baseline FY2002 transit funding levels of $8,367,997 and expand from there. Knowing that this is impossible this year because of budget shortfalls, at a minimum, OATS is asking legislators to support the $1.7 Million in State Transit Funding that is in the Governor’s recommendation. Restore the $500,000 general revenue that was in the FY17 budget back to the FY18 budget. Loss of this funding results in OATS losing $64,963 in funding. These State Transit Funds help 24 rural transit providers, including OATS.
