×

Easy Rider levy passes

PARKERSBURG — Voters in Parkersburg and Vienna approved the levy for the Mid-Ohio Transit Authority to operate the Easy Rider buses in the two cities.

Parkersburg voters passed the transit levy with 3,213 votes for and 772 votes against. Vienna voters passed the transit levy with 1,761 votes for and 369 votes against.

The levy will raise about $2.8 million a year for the operation of Easy Rider, of which about $2 million is raised from Parkersburg and $800,000 from Vienna.

The levy required at least 60 percent of voters in the affirmative. Parkersburg voters approved it by 80 percent and Vienna voters by 82 percent.

On Tuesday evening, MOVTA General Manager Tim Thomas said he wanted to thank the voters in Parkersburg and Vienna for their continued support and trust in the authority and its operations. The MOVTA is always looking at ways to provide the best service it can, Thomas said. He believes the public transportation services provided through Easy Rider are a benefit to the community in a variety of ways, including economic development.

“We want to continue to provide the services that we do in a timely manner,” Thomas said.

The existing levy expires on June 30, 2019. The levy rates on Class I, II and IV property are $0.06248, $0.12496 and $0.24992, respectively.

The transit authority was created in 1975 when the former Park Transit Inc., the privately owned commercial bus company, ceased operations on March 15, 1975, citing a decline in ridership and revenues, according to the transit authority history.

Eleven days after Park closed, Parkersburg City Council created the Urban Mass Transportation Authority and a five-member governing board. By November, the cities of Parkersburg and Vienna adopted legislation joining and creating the Mid-Ohio Valley Transit Authority.

Opening day of the new Easy Rider system was Dec. 3, 1976, and included a ribbon cutting and three days of free rides, which were taken advantage of by 4,576 passengers on five 16-passenger buses.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today