New transportation service begins Monday

Beginning Monday, Hartford residents will have a new form of transportation available to them from the City of Hartford.

HARTS, Hartford Area Resource Transportation Service, is a free public transportation system operating throughout the city three days a week.

“When I became mayor, I was looking for ideas for something different for Hartford that wasn’t available,” said Mayor Beau Wright. “This was one of the earliest things that I saw that was a real need.”

The Green River Intra-County Transit system, known as GRITS, and the Senior Citizens Center transportation are available to those who qualify, but Wright said there wasn’t anything available for the average person who might need a ride to places in the city.

“What really got me interested in it was Morgantown. They have MOGO over there, and I thought, ‘what a unique thing. If Morgantown can do something like that in their area then why wouldn’t that work here,’” Wright said.

The van is free to the public and the cost to the city was worked into this year’s budget, he said. The city budgeted for a part-time employee to drive the bus and adjusted the city’s insurance policy to cover the vehicle and service. The van was donated by the Ohio County Fiscal Court.

Wright said the city wanted to start off small to see how it would work and how well it would be received. If it all goes

well there is a potential that the city might look into purchasing a bus in the future.

According to Wright, Judge-Executive David Johnston has also expressed interest in the possibility of making the program into a countywide service.

“We are just trying to get it established in the city,” he said. “Once it takes off there is a potential for growth.”

The van will operate from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It will not make requested stops instead it will have scheduled stops throughout the city.

The planning committee felt this was the best approach as it was safer and provided a more reliable schedule. Wright said they are open to widening or fluctuating the schedule at some point but they needed a “starting point.”

“This will be an adjustment period until we really get established. We are learning together on this.”

Buddy Shrewsberry, a former director of transportation with Ohio County Schools, will be driving the van. Wright said he is the perfect person for the position as he has knowledge in running routes.

“He has taken this and ran with it. I spearheaded the idea and passed it on to him and knew he would do a good job,” Wright said.

Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult in order to ride the van. All riders must wear seat belts. Bags are limited to what the rider can carry themselves. No pets, except service animals, are allowed on the van.

“There has been a lot of positive feedback about this,” Wright said. “Several had said they would like to see more of it. It has always been a dire need for the county; we just needed to find a way to make it happen.”

Scheduled pick ups and drop offs: Riverbend Apartments 8 a.m. and 12 p.m., Ohio County Community Center 8:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., Family Wellness Center 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Signature Health 8:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., Spinks’ Shopping Center 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., King Drug 9:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m., Walmart 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., McCreary Court Apartments 9:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m., Northpoint Apartments 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Hartford Christian Church 10:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m., East Hartford Baptist Church 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., Ellis Park 10:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. and Evans Court Apartments 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.