Mountain Line Transit Authority
 | |
 | |
| 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.
Services
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]
Fares
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]
History
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]
Routes
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 | ||
References
- ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ a b "Grey Line". Mountain Line. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
- ^ a b "Route List". Mountain Line. Archived from the original on 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
- ^ "Deviations". Mountain Line. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
- ^ a b "Fares & Programs". Mountain Line. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
- ^ Sampson, Rich (Spring 2011). "Mountain Line Transit Authority: Making Connections in Real-Time" (PDF). Community Transportation Magazine. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
- ^ Jarvis, Jake (April 27, 2016). "Bus levy threatens Mountain Line". The Daily Athenaeum. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
- ^ Ghion, Kathryn (August 12, 2016). "Mountain Line Expands Services With Levy Funds". WBOY-TV. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
- ^ a b Blume, Kelly; Cardenas, James; Sener, Ipek; Rodman, Will (May 26, 2021). Innovative Practices for Transit Planning at Small to Mid-Sized Agencies. Washington, D.C.: Transportation Research Board. pp. 46–48. doi:10.17226/26204. ISBN 978-0-309-67390-7.
- ^ Congedo, Mariah (December 19, 2018). "Mountain Line steps in after service shut down". WDTV. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
- ^ Conley, Ben (January 3, 2019). "Mountain Line looking to help those stranded by closure of nonprofit". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
- ^ Das, Subasish; Trisha, Nusrat Fahmida; Sener, Ipek N.; Walk, Michael (January 3, 2022). Uses of Social Media in Public Transportation. TCRP Synthesis 156. Washington, D.C.: Transportation Research Board. p. 23. doi:10.17226/26451. ISBN 978-0-309-27647-4.
- ^ Straight, Trenton (August 4, 2021). "PRT reopens with new features after more than a year of COVID closure". The Daily Athenaeum. Retrieved 2025-01-13.