On Tuesday, January 29, OATS representatives from across the state met with
their local legislators to remind them of the importance of Missouri’s public
transportation system. The main message was to ask Legislator’s for their
support for public transit, and remind them that OATS is an important part of
Missouri’s public transportation funding. Budgetary decisions made in Jefferson
City affect the services that OATS is able to provide in their local
communities.
OATS Executive Director Dorothy Yeager had the
opportunity to speak with Senator Mike Kehoe (District 6) along with other
members of the Missouri Public Transit Association at the Capital. They
expressed their appreciation to the Senator and conveyed the importance of
public transportation to their communities in hopes of encouraging support of
future funding. Kehoe is the Chair of the Transportation Committee
Yeager and other OATS representatives were at the
Capital on behalf of the more than 36,000 Missourians who rely on OATS to meet
their basic transportation needs. Specific funding issues include asking for
support of MoDOT’s request for $5.5 million for transit operations from both the
General Revenue and the State Transportation Fund.
OATS, Inc., a non-for-profit corporation, provided
1,702,272 one-way trips to over 36,000 Missourians last year. These trips were
made to ensure that thousands of Missourians had access to doctors, pharmacies,
work, nutrition sites, school, sheltered workshops, Dialysis and essential
shopping. OATS is funded, in part, an allotment of federal funds from the
Missouri Department of Transportation, and through contracts with
Missouri Elderly and Handicapped Transportation Assistance Program
(MEHTAP), private contracts, rider donations and contributions. For more
information about OATS, Inc., please visit their website at www.oatstransit.org; “Like” us at
Facebook.com/oatstransit.
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