![]() | |
![]() | |
Founded | November 1995 |
---|---|
Headquarters | 420 Dupont Road Westover, West Virginia |
Service area | Monongalia County, West Virginia |
Service type | Bus |
Alliance | Greyhound Lines (Grey Line) |
Routes | 23 |
Stops | Hail and Ride |
Stations | Westover Terminal |
Fleet | Gillig, Ford E-Series |
Annual ridership | 638,900 (2023) [1] |
Fuel type | Diesel, Gasoline |
Website | busride |
Mountain Line Transit Authority is the public transportation operator serving Monongalia County, West Virginia, including Morgantown and the campus of West Virginia University. Mountain Line, officially the Monongalia County Urban Mass Transit Authority, operates 22 local bus routes in Monongalia County, and one intercity route to Pittsburgh. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 638,900.
Mountain Line provides bus services throughout Monongalia County, West Virginia. The most frequent services are provided in Morgantown, including the campus of West Virginia University. [2]
The Grey Line intercity service (route 29) operates from Bridgeport in neighboring Harrison County to Grant Street Transportation Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with intermediate stops in Fairmont; Morgantown; Waynesburg, PA; Washington, PA; and Pittsburgh International Airport. [2]
Mountain Line's operations facility and main transfer point is the Westover Terminal, located at 691 Fairmont Road in Westover. [3] A second major hub is Mountaineer Station, which is co-located with the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit Health Sciences Center station.
On most Mountain Line services, buses are able to deviate to destinations off the published route. Customers wishing to have buses deviated must first have their pickup point approved by Mountain Line operations staff, to confirm that a full-size bus can safely navigate to the pickup point. Route deviations are not available on lines serving posted stops only. [4]
The standard fare for Mountain Line local bus services is $0.75. Mobile ticketing is available through the Token Transit app. WVU students and staff, Monongalia County property owners, military veterans, and high school students are eligible for free rides on local services. Deviations are charged an extra $0.50. [5]
In addition to single fares, 15-ride tickets and monthly passes are also available for local services. The monthly Monster Pass provides unlimited travel on Grey Line services and local services. [5]
Mountain Line was founded in 1995, when the City of Morgantown and Monongalia County merged their transit services. Initially, the Mountain Line system served approximately 200,000 passengers per year. Late-night service to the WVU campus began in 2002, growing ridership for the system. Greyhound discontinued its intercity bus service through Morgantown in 2005, and Mountain Line responded by launching the Grey Line intercity service, which continues to operate as of 2024. Mountaineer Station, a bus station co-located with the WVU Personal Rapid Transit system's Health Sciences Center station, opened in 2007. [6]
Monongalia County discontinued much of its funding for transit service in 2016, following a decrease in coal severance tax receipts. Mountain Line proposed a new property tax levy, which was passed by Monongalia County voters. [7] In recognition of the property tax levy's importance, Mountain Line published schedules that showed the specific services funded by the levy, and added "Levy Funded" graphics to newly purchased buses. [8] [9]
The agency faced further challenges in 2018, when local non-emergency medical transportation provider In Touch and Concerned Inc. went out of business. In Touch and Concerned was formerly a partner of Mountain Line, but stopped using space in the agency's facility in Westover after it expanded services. Mountain Line took over some of the company's services with the assistance of local grant funding. [10] [11]
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in West Virginia, Mountain Line expanded its communication through social media, and implemented social distancing restrictions on its buses. [12] WVU closed the PRT system for over a year beginning in March 2020, instituting its own substitute bus service. Mountain Line service continued, paralleling the PRT and providing additional options to WVU students. [13] Also in 2020, a second property tax levy was passed by Monongalia County voters, providing dedicated funding for Mountain Line services. [9]
Mountain Line operates 23 routes. Unless noted, all routes operate on a hail and ride basis, stopping for any passenger who flags down the bus. [3]
Route | Name | Terminals | Via | Days of service | Hours of service | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Campus PM | Morgantown Monongalia County Courthouse | WVU Towers PRT station | Thursday-Saturday | Evenings and late nights | Operates during WVU semesters only, through service with route 1 | |
2 | Downtown PM Mall | Morgantown Morgantown Mall | Monday-Saturday | Evenings | |||
4 | Orange Line | Westover Westover Terminal | Morgantown Mountaineer Mall | Monday-Saturday | Days | ||
6 | Gold Line | WVU Mountaineer Station | Star City | Daily | Days | ||
7 | Red Line | Downtown Morgantown | Monday-Saturday | Days | |||
8 | Brookhaven | Brookhaven Brookhaven Fire Station | Monday-Friday | Days | |||
9 | Purple Line | WVU Towers PRT station | Suncrest Town Centre | Monday-Saturday | Days | ||
11 | Cassville | Cassville New Hill Community Youth Park | University Town Center | Daily | Days | ||
12 | Blue Line | Morgantown | Downtown Morgantown | Monday-Saturday | Days | ||
13 | Crown | Crown | One-way loop via Arnettsville and Everettville | Monday-Saturday | Days | ||
14 | Mountain Heights | One-way loop via Summers School Rd and Kingwood Pike, serving Mountaineer Mall on inbound trips | Monday-Saturday | 3 trips per day | |||
15 | Grafton | Browns Chapel | One-way loop via Grafton Rd, Halleck Rd, and Smithtown Rd | Monday-Saturday | 2 trips per day | ||
16 | Pink Line | Morgantown Fort Pierpont Dr & Old Cheat Rd | Downtown Morgantown | Monday-Saturday | Days | ||
29 | Grey Line | Bridgeport, WV | Pittsburgh, PA | Fairmont; Morgantown; Waynesburg, PA; Washington, PA; Pittsburgh International Airport | Daily | Days | Stops at posted stops only. Reservations accepted via the Greyhound national sales network |
30 | West Run | Morgantown West Run Apartments | WVU Mountainlair Student Union | Monday-Saturday | Days | Stops at posted stops only. Saturday service is extended to Monongalia County Courthouse, and operates during WVU semesters only | |
38 | Blue & Gold | WVU Evansdale Crossing /Towers PRT station | WVU Life Sciences Building | One-way loop via Grant Ave and Beechurst Ave | Daily | Days | Stops at posted stops only. Reduced service during WVU breaks |
39 | Beechurst Express | One-way loop via Beechurst Ave and Grant Ave | Monday-Friday | Days | Stops at posted stops only. Operates during WVU semesters only | ||
44 | Valley View | Morgantown Valley View Woods Apartments | WVU University Ave & Falling Run Rd | Monday-Friday | Mornings | ||
46 | Eastern Circulator | Sabraton Goodwill Store | Morgantown | Monday-Saturday | Days | ||
Cheat Lake Mon-Fayette Industrial Park | |||||||
47 | Northern Circulator | WVU Mountaineer Station | Star City Riverside Commons Apartments | Monday-Saturday | Days | ||
Independence Hills Mobile Home Park | Mon General Hospital | ||||||
50 | Don Knotts | Westover Westover Terminal | Morgantown Hornbeck Rd Walmart | House of Hope | Daily | Days | |
51 | Westridge Mylan | Mylan Park | Morgantown Mall | Daily | Days | ||
52 | Wadestown | Wadestown | Cassville, Blacksville | Daily | 4 trips per day |
Morgantown is a city in and the county seat of Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Monongahela River. The most populous city in North Central West Virginia and the third-most populous city in the state, Morgantown is best known as the home of West Virginia University. The population was 30,347 at the 2020 census. The city serves as the anchor of the Morgantown metropolitan area, which had a population of 138,176 in 2020.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is a transit agency serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex of Texas. It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and twelve of its suburbs. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 50,463,300, or about 167,100 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), branded as Metro, is the county agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the public transportation system in Los Angeles County, California, the most populated county in the United States.
The Northstar Line is a commuter rail route in the US state of Minnesota. Northstar runs 40 miles (64 km) from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis at Target Field using existing track and right-of-way owned by the BNSF Railway. Passenger service began on November 16, 2009. The rail line serves part of the Northstar Corridor between Minneapolis and St. Cloud. Planning for the line began in 1997 when the Northstar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA) was formed. The corridor is also served by Interstate 94 and U.S. Highway 10. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 142,200, or about 500 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is a special service district responsible for providing public transportation throughout the Wasatch Front of Utah, in the United States, which includes the metropolitan areas of Ogden, Park City, Provo, Salt Lake City and Tooele. It operates fixed route buses, flex route buses, express buses, ski buses, three light rail lines in Salt Lake County (TRAX), a streetcar line in Salt Lake City, and a commuter rail train (FrontRunner) from Ogden through Salt Lake City to Provo. UTA is headquartered in Salt Lake City with operations and garages in locations throughout the Wasatch Front, including Ogden, Midvale and Orem. Light rail vehicles are stored and maintained at yards at locations in South Salt Lake and Midvale. UTA's commuter rail equipment is stored and serviced at a facility in Salt Lake City. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 35,058,000, or about 134,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
The Champaign–Urbana Mass Transit District is a mass transit system that operates in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area in central-eastern Illinois. MTD is headquartered in Urbana and operates its primary hub at the intermodal Illinois Terminal in downtown Champaign. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 8,947,600, or about 32,700 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit is a personal rapid transit (PRT) system in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. The system connects the three Morgantown campuses of West Virginia University (WVU) and the city's downtown area.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) is the public agency responsible for most public transportation services in the Greater Pittsburgh region in Pennsylvania. It is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and the 20th-largest in the United States. PRT operates an integrated system of bus, light rail and funicular services in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, with limited service to three adjacent counties in the Greater Pittsburgh region. The agency was founded in 1956 as the Port Authority of Allegheny County, and began operating transit service in 1964. PRT pioneered bus rapid transit in the United States with the opening of the South Busway in 1977, and continues to operate bus rapid transit services as a core part of its network. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 39,730,300.
The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) is the public transport agency serving Cincinnati and its Ohio suburbs. SORTA operates Metro fixed-route buses, bus rapid transit, microtransit, and paratransit services. SORTA's headquarters are located at the Huntington Building in Cincinnati’s Central Business District. The agency is managed by CEO and General Manager Darryl Haley along with a 13-member board of trustees. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 13,091,500, or about 44,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
Williamsburg Area Transit Authority (WATA) is a multi-jurisdiction transportation agency providing transit bus and ADA Paratransit services in the City of Williamsburg, James City County, York County in the Historic Triangle area and Surry County, VA of the Virginia Peninsula subregion of Hampton Roads in southeastern Virginia.
North Central West Virginia is a region in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The region's largest cities are Morgantown, Fairmont, and Clarksburg.
The Fairmont Marion County Transit Authority (FMCTA) provides public transportation to the citizens of Fairmont and Marion County, West Virginia, United States.
Metro is the operator of public transit services in the Kalamazoo metropolitan area of Michigan. Metro operates fixed-route bus service on 21 routes, serving the city of Kalamazoo, its immediate suburbs, and Western Michigan University. It also provides demand-response service in all of Kalamazoo County, with additional paratransit and microtransit services in the region served by its fixed-route buses.
VCTC Intercity is a public transit agency providing bus service in Ventura County, California. It provides an intercity bus service between the cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Santa Paula, and Fillmore in Ventura County, and to communities in neighboring Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties. The agency is part of the Ventura County Transportation Commission, a governmental body that oversees transportation planning and funding in Ventura County. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 383,700, or about 1,400 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
The Tillamook County Transportation District (TCTD), branded as The Wave, is a provider of local and intercity bus transportation services in Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The district was created by the county, with borders contiguous with those of the county, though it is organizationally independent.
RapidRide is a network of limited-stop bus routes with some bus rapid transit features in King County, Washington, operated by King County Metro. The network consists of eight routes totaling 76 miles (122 km) that carried riders on approximately 64,860 trips on an average weekday in 2016, comprising about 17 percent of King County Metro's total daily ridership.
The United States is served by a wide array of public transportation, including various forms of bus, rail, ferry, and sometimes, airline services. Most public transit systems are in urban areas with enough density and public demand to require public transportation; most US cities have some form of public transit. In more auto-centric suburban localities, public transit is generally less frequent and less common. Most public transit services in the United States are either national, regional/commuter, or local.
Pierce Transit, officially the Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation, is an operator of public transit in Pierce County, Washington. It operates a variety of services, including fixed-route buses, dial-a-ride transportation, vanpool and ride-matching for carpools. The agency's service area covers the urbanized portions of Pierce County, part of the Seattle metropolitan area, and includes the city of Tacoma. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 7,021,900, or about 24,900 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
The North Central Regional Transit District operates a network of several local and intercity bus routes in northern New Mexico, serving Santa Fe, Española, Taos, and many smaller communities along a network of 25 fixed routes and one demand-response route, one dial-a-ride and complementary Paratransit service in the Taos area. Routes operate Monday through Friday only, with the exceptions of the "Taos Express," which operates only on weekends, the Mountain Trail route to the Santa Fe National Forest and Ski Santa Fe, which operates daily, and seasonal daily service from the Town of Taos to Taos Ski Valley.
In the 1990s, the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) planned to fund the construction of a personal rapid transit (PRT) system in Rosemont, Illinois. Raytheon had been contracted to build the system. The project was cancelled in October 1999. Rosemont had been selected in 1993 by the RTA be home to a demonstration PRT system. Five other municipalities in the suburban Chicago metropolitan area had submitted unsuccessful bids to be host to the PRT project. The system would have been the first-of-its-kind, utilizing smaller vehicles than the existing Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit. The project marked the first serious activity related to PRT construction since Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit.