Volunteer transit program expands drivers in Franklin County; OATS reports Amtrak trip inquiries

At the Oct. 27 meeting the committee received two transit updates. Taylor, EZMO coordinator, reported that Franklin County has added volunteer drivers and that the county’s share of system mileage rose from roughly 10% to about 30% over the last two months. Taylor said an onboarding session in Union will add a 10th Franklin County driver and urged continued referrals and outreach to recruit more volunteers for the county’s volunteer transit network.

Megan, an OATS representative, said a local rider called asking about using OATS connections to meet an Amtrak train for holiday travel to Sullivan. OATS continues regular service for hospitals and airport runs and said the Amtrak inquiry showed public awareness of multimodal connections could increase demand during holiday periods.

Next steps: EZMO staff asked committee members to help distribute recruitment materials; OATS will continue scheduling and said staff can provide details to riders on connecting with Amtrak stops.