Rural Missouri transit director says more funding is needed after state funding was slashed this year

Rural public transit is a critical need for Missouri’s vulnerable population, according to Dorothy Yeager of Columbia. She’s Executive Director of OATS Transit, which services 87 counties in Missouri. She told Missourinet that funding for public transit is not a frivolous expense.

“It is almost like a utility. It’s like the Police Department, fire department,” she said “It’s important to communities and it helps keep people in their rural communities, keep them in their homes.”

OATS Transit is a non-profit organization that receives funding from both the state and federal governments. Missouri lawmakers cut funding for public transportation by 42% in the current state budget, which Yeager said resulted in a $1.8 million hit to OATS’ operating budget.

“We lost $900,000 this year in state