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Gilliam County Transportation nears completion of bus barn; ridership and mileage continue to rise
Summary
Director Todd Lake updated the Gilliam County Court on expanded service, vehicle mileage and driver hours, and near-completion of a new bus barn; county approved a veterans transportation grant on the consent agenda and staff warned future funding beyond 2028 is uncertain.
Todd Lake, director of Gilliam County Transportation, told the Gilliam County Court the system is expanding beyond medical trips to include scheduled social and shopping trips attached to medical appointments, youth transportation and a Thursday meal-site run for seniors.
Lake said the agency is "nearing completion on the bus barn" and expects punch-list items to be resolved so vehicles can be moved indoors next week. "We should be able to move vehicles by next week," he said, adding that moving vehicles out of the weather was a major goal of the project.
The transportation program reported increased volunteer and paid driver capacity: Lake said the system has 17 drivers (including himself and one staff member, Aileen), four part-time drivers and a pool of volunteers. He said driver hours rose from 5,085 in 2022 to an estimated 7,464 in 2025. Ridership also rose: 3,506 annual riders in 2022 and an estimated 4,706 in 2025; senior passengers rose from 2,842 in 2022 to an estimated 3,594 in 2025. Fleet mileage increased from about 144,265 miles in 2022 to an estimated 231,112 miles for 2025.
Lake said the system currently operates 13 vehicles (two rotated out earlier for high mileage) and that financing is in place to replace four vehicles. He also reported that the Highly Rural Transportation Grant (HRTG) the county uses will not be affected and that the county's STIF (Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund) plan was approved and will be funded through 2028, though longer-term funding beyond 2028 remains uncertain.
The court approved, as part of the consent agenda, the 2025–26 Transportation for Veterans in Highly Rural Areas grant agreement. The consent agenda passed unanimously.
Lake said the transportation program continues to accept voluntary passenger donations but is "able with all the funding nightmares we've had, we've been able to continue to offer it for no charge." He noted partners that help reimburse medical trips, including a local behavioral-health reimbursement program he identified as helping eligible people. Lake praised volunteers and paid drivers — single-day schedule changes and urgent trips often require flexibility from drivers spread across a large rural county.
Commissioners thanked staff and volunteers and noted the service's importance to seniors, veterans and other residents who rely on transportation to reach medical care and social services. Lake said the agency will replace high-mileage vehicles and continue to seek stable funding beyond 2028.
