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23-608: These counties are sometimes also included in the region. Note: These cities are sometimes included within the region. A network of intracity and intercity buses is provided in the area by three private services: CENTRA, the Fairmont Marion County Transit Authority , and the Mountain Line Transit Authority . The Fairmont Marion County Transit Authority provides bus routes focusing on Marion County, but trips to

46-656: A citation from the House of Delegates of the West Virginia Legislature. Originally service operated on seven routes in and around Fairmont plue five additional routes serving rural communities. The original routes were West End, East Side, Rivesville, Barrackville (with select trips to Chesapeake), Watson/Mall, Monongah (with select trips to Worthington) and Jackson Addition. Weekly routes were Kingmont and Manningotn on Tuesdays, Carolina, Fairview and later Colfax on Wednesdays). Soon after, FMCTA began to expand

69-630: A trolley. The fleet now stands around 30 vehicles that have various seating capacities ranging from four to thirty two seats and are fully equipped to meet the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) specifications and 4 non ADA service vehicles. Clientele of the FMCTA are primarily senior citizens, the transportationally disadvantaged, and persons of lower income. Other riders include Fairmont State University students, commuters looking for an economically advantageous alternative to driving, and customers aware of

92-615: Is a special intercity service connecting the area to Pittsburgh for a flat rate of $ 25.00 per ride. For regular routes, the standard individual fare is $ 0.75, with special packages such as monthly passes or individual deviations. Transfers are $ 0.75, and children 5 and under ride free. "U.S. Census website" . U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved January 28, 2015 . 39°30′N 80°10′W  /  39.500°N 80.167°W  / 39.500; -80.167 Fairmont Marion County Transit Authority The Fairmont Marion County Transit Authority (FMCTA) provides public transportation to

115-565: Is also provided to complement the fixed routes. The buses use a pulse system that has all routes converging at a single transfer point in downtown Fairmont on Jefferson Street next to the Marion County Courthouse. FMCTA provides service to the major towns in Marion County, including Fairmont, Mannington, Fairview, Rivesville, Barrackville, Pleasant Valley and White Hall . Service is also provided to Clarksburg to

138-497: Is facilitated by 16 individual lines that run weekdays from 6 AM to 6 PM, and Saturdays from 8 AM to 4 PM. The Mountain Line Transit Authority provides bus routes in and around Monongalia County and WVU campuses. When WVU is in session, 18 routes around Morgantown provide service from as early as 6 AM to as late as 2:30 AM. During summer these hours are slightly reduced, and some routes are eliminated. The Grey Line

161-623: The Authority's greatest source of income is provided by the countywide levy providing 75% of the annual budget. The remaining amount comes from federal highway taxes and farebox revenue. When the FMCTA began service in 1973, service was provided out of a bus garage on Maryland Avenue in Fairmont. In 1980, the Authority was given a federal grant to build a new facility which included a garage, maintenance and office space as well as bus parking and fueling stations. In 1996, additional equipment parking

184-473: The Courthouse at the end of a trip to discharge passengers only. Waiting passengers have no way of knowing the bus is only dropping off passengers and they often approach the bus only to be told the driver is going to the garage. Unfortunately, these helpful exposures are never displayed. The first bus with an electronic destination sign was a Champion brand bus added in 2006 which will hopefully put an end to

207-715: The Fairmont Marion County Transit Authority (FMCTA) as a separate government entity, funded equally at $ 60,000 by each of the bodies. The planning, purchasing, scheduling and recruitment process lasted five months. On June 7, 1973, the seventeen-month period of no transit ended with the first bus operated by FMCTA hitting the road. May 23, 1973 Michael Pasquale was named Manager / Dispatcher and since that time Woody Conrad served 11 years, H. B. Herb Pudder served 5 years, Joe Rager 12 years and George Levitsky(2nd Certified Community Transit Manager in WV,

230-497: The board approved along with the County Commission that veterans, upon registering for a pass, could ride for free anywhere their fixed routes travel. The first Mercedes buses lacked destination signs to tell the passengers where the bus was going. Makeshift signs were made on pieces of cardboard scrawled on by a black marker. This issue was solved as more buses were purchased. The first bunch of Goshens purchased only had

253-458: The citizens of Fairmont and Marion County , West Virginia , United States . On December 31, 1971, the City Lines buses ended service in Marion County and Fairmont, West Virginia . This left the citizens of the area without any type of mass transit. The inauguration of a new system lasted over a year and a half. In January 1973, the governing bodies of Marion County and Fairmont formed

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276-461: The core of the city to $ 2.00 on trips to Clarksburg or Morgantown. Fares increase at $ .25 increments as the bus gets further from downtown. Transfers are free and only valid at the Transfer station. In the late 80s, for a short time, the base fare increased to $ .75. This placed a hardship on the locals and the base fare returned to $ .50 after the passage of the first excess levy in 1988. In July 2016

299-560: The environmental benefits that transit provides. When FMCTA began, it was well received by the community and turned a profit at the end of its first Fiscal Year, 1975. The Board of Directors were determined that the Authority could operate at half the funding level and thus cut the funding by fifty percent. In 1978, the City of Fairmont began to cut funding and managed to exclude transit funding entirely. Marion County continued funding until it too discontinued funding for transit in 1988. Currently,

322-523: The malls and the Veterans' Hospital as well as service to Morgantown to Ruby Memorial Hospital. Core routes include the Edgemont Loop, Watson/Mall and Mount Harmony. Other routes serve Barrackville, Carolina, Unity Terrace, Jackson Addition, Mannington, Pleasant Valley, Rivesville and Fairview. All routes operate weekdays while only core service operates Saturdays. Saturday service was started in

345-535: The mid-1980s. Sunday service has never been provided. Weekday evening service existed for a few years in the early 90s but after proving to be unsuccessful, it was discontinued. Two evening trips were again added in 2007 to serve the Mall and Fairmont State University but they have since been discontinued. Goshen Coach Goshen Coach was an American cutaway bus builder located in Salina, Kansas . The company

368-400: The nearby cities of Clarksburg and Morgantown are also provided for a charge of $ 2.00, one way. Free transfers are provided at the Marion County courthouse. All routes within the county have a flat rate of $ 0.75, but for all routes, children under the age of 6 ride free. CENTRA is a service based at the southern end of the region, serving the areas around Clarksburg and Harrison County. Travel

391-485: The overhead scroll sign and lacked a sign on the side of the buses. The next batch of buses purchased in the 1990s solved this issue, however it was tough convincing the bus drivers to use the side destination sign and it often remained on white blank or it was removed completely. New scrolls were purchased for the older buses and came equipped in the newer buses with exposures reading Out of Service and Garage. These were added to end confusion of passengers when buses return to

414-540: The service area. The original fleet of buses consisted of Mercedes-Benz buses and later in the 1980s of Flexettes which were light duty buses built by Flexible. Grumman-Olsens (which look like bread trucks) were added for rural route service. Large Bluebirds which resembled school buses were bought to use on charters and interstate trips until insurance became cost prohibitive. They were by far the largest buses operated by FMCTA with 41 seats. The fleet for many years consisted of Goshen Coach buses, Ford mid-sized buses, vans and

437-732: The white blank days which at times appeared on the front of buses as well when there was not real signage available. This was the case for new or experimental routes such as those to Clarksburg Malls, Montana and Bunner's Ridge. Originally bus service operated over seven routes serving Fairmont plus five routes which operated weekly to surrounding rural communities. Daily routes operated were West End, East Side, Rivesville , Barrackville (with some trips extending to Chesapeake), Watson/Mall, Monongah (with some trips extending to Worthington ) and Jackson Addition. Rural routes included Kingmont and Mannington which both operated on Tuesdays, Carolina , Fairview and Colfax operating on Wednesdays. There

460-657: Was Community Transit Association of America’s Manager of the Year in 2009) served 21 years, as Managers of the Transit Authority. In January of 2024 Jeff Mullenax was named General Manager by the Authority’s Board of Directors. The Transit Authority celebrated serving Marion County with public transportation for 50 years in 2023. In 2014 US Senator Joe Manchin, Delegates Mike Caputo, Tim Manchin and Linda Longstreth, and Governor Tomblin offered congratulatory letters and

483-414: Was added in the lot adjacent to the new facility on Quincy Street. Another floor was added to garage in 2007 as well as additional parking. In May 2015 the transfer station was moved from on the street by the courthouse to a renovated 4 story stucco building located @ 401 Monroe Street with a cover area for waiting and Monday through Friday an indoor waiting area for our passengers. Fares range from $ .50 in

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506-532: Was also a route that went to Fairview via Barrackville and Monumental as well as the current Fairview route via Rivesville. The Fairmont-Marion County Transit Authority (FMCTA) currently serves most of the county as well as the I-79 corridor. The system covers 16 routes with various trip patterns. Service operates Monday through Friday between 7 am and 6 pm with five routes operating on Saturday between 8 am and 5 pm. Comparable ADA Paratransit service

529-749: Was founded in 1985 and was owned by Thor Industries from 2005 until August 2013, when Thor sold the company to Allied Specialty Vehicles (later renamed REV Group). REV Group closed the Goshen Coach factory was closed on October 31, 2016. After the closure, REV continued to use the Goshen Coach name for some buses built at the ElDorado facility in Salina, Kansas and the Champion Bus facility in Imlay City, Michigan . In May 2020, REV sold its cutaway bus businesses to Forest River , including

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