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Easy Rider in Parkersburg offers free pass for military service

Photo by Jeff Baughan Jon Corra displays the current type of card being used with the Operation Transportation program with the Easy Rider bus system.

PARKERSBURG — A two-month old program at Easy Rider is offering a free ride for local active duty military, retired and current veterans.

The Mid-Ohio Valley Transit Authority, operators of the Parkersburg and Vienna bus system, has partnered with the Joining Community Forces initiative Operation Transportation and is offering veterans the 30-day bus passes.

“When we presented the idea to Easy Rider, they jumped on board. They were all in immediately,” said Kimberly Griffey of Joining Community Forces, adding the process hasn’t gone as fast as she would have liked. “I don’t know if it was because of the holidays,” said Griffey, “but we think it is a worthwhile program to help our veterans get the transportation they need to get around town.”

The organization provides resources and referrals and works with families of veterans and servicemen on active duty.

“Every state has one. The JCS is a group of local businesses and organizations who are working together to address concerns with the military community. The closest one to Parkersburg is in Clarksburg and it is very active,” Griffey said. “They prepare brown bag lunches for the veterans traveling to the VA Center. When we got involved with the initiative, we found transportation was the biggest need for area veterans, so we decided to tackle that.

Photo by Jeff Baughan Kimberly Griffey, who works with the Operation Transportation Joining Community Forces initiative, stands in front of a fleet of buses at the Easy Rider bus terminal in Parkersburg.

Tim Thomas, general manager of the Easy Rider program, believes the program “is good for the overall community.

“We owe them (the veterans) a lot.  They are the heroes and it’s good for the Mid-Ohio Valley Transportation Authority to show them how we are willing to help those heroes with their everyday lives,” he said. “Their dedication of their lives to protect our country. We’re gung-ho to help them because without them I don’t feel like we would be where we are today in this country.”

A one-page application can be quickly prepared and has space for four types of military identification, although only one is needed to complete the application.

“A person needs to have their DD214 (discharge paperwork) with a photo ID, or their Red, White, Blue VA card with photo ID, a driver’s license with veteran stamp or military ID,” Griffey said.

The possessor of the pass has to only show it to the driver to board with no charge.

The card is good for the month displayed, she said.

“That is for an unlimited amount of trips anywhere Easy Rider has routes,” said Griffey. “But whether one uses it once or 1,000 times in those 30 days, once those 30 days are up, they have to obtain another card. What it amounts to right now, is a temporary card.”

The new cards will be swipe cards, said Jon Corra, who designed the Operation Transportation logo and the website operationtransportation.org.  The Operation Transportation group also has a FaceBook page, Corra said.

The new swipe cards will be good for 30 days after the first swipe, he said.

“Then they will have to return for a new card,” Corra said.

The application is prepared only once, Griffey said.

“They won’t have to fill out an application each time they get a card,” she said. “Once they’re in the system, they just have to show a photo ID and they’ll get the card.”

The slow down has been getting the new swipe cards, Griffey said.

“They had to order the cards in bulk, around 3,000 or a number close to that, so it’s taking a little while,” she said.

About $3,500 was raised to get the program off the ground, Corra said.

“And the program is still in its infancy,” he said. “We want to do more in the community and we’re looking for ways to reach the rural veterans. Which I mean being anywhere the buses don’t run within the county.”

Corra is the Community Outreach Specialist and Social Media Specialist for Parkersburg attorney Jan Dils. Corra said it didn’t take much to get her involved with the project.

“We had the fiscal entity with Jan Dils with the ‘Walk 4 Vets Foundation,’ which is a 501c,” said Corra. “We used that to accept money to buy the passes and Jan sponsored the spaghetti dinner we used as a fundraiser.

The group will have to continue raising funds, Griffey said.

“We are always going to have to raise funds to keep this going, but people have always been very supportive of the military in this area,” Griffey said. “We’ll make a go of this for a while and continue to work to make it a smooth running operation.”

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