Effective January 1, 2025, Federally funded rural public transportation within Fayette County will be offered through a new regional public transportation network.
This network will be established to help meet the rural public transportation needs of Fayette, Union, and Wayne Counties to better serve the residents and visitors of each county.
While this transition will require ongoing planning and implementation, the goal is to provide an expanded service area. Public transportation opportunities will be available to connect to essential services like healthcare, education, employment and shopping. It also connects people with human service organizations and places of social activities, and recreation.
While the regional network is an updated approach, countywide rural public transportation service will not be disrupted and will be retained in Fayette, Union, and Wayne Counties. The regional network will build on the countywide service to expand opportunities to travel throughout the 3-county region.
While it may take some time before a name change is noticed in each county, the new regional network system has been branded as Whitewater Valley Regional Transit (formerly Union County Transit) and will operate solely out of Union County Council on Aging, located in Liberty, Indiana.
Whitewater Valley Regional Transit will not only provide service throughout each of the 3 counties, but out-of-region service will be offered on a limited basis. It is also important to note that Whitewater Valley Regional Transit offers a fleet of ADA accessible vehicles to accommodate the needs of individuals with a mobility impairment.
Planning efforts are underway and will continue for several months to determine the most appropriate and effective model for rural public transportation throughout the region. Additionally, an ongoing service evaluation will be conducted with the goal of expanding the regional network to include both Franklin and Rush Counties.
Immediate changes to the Fayette County service include: a change in telephone number for contacting Whitewater Valley Regional Transit (formerly Union County Transit). The new telephone number to call is 765-458-7277. If you are interested in becoming an Operator for Whitewater Valley Regional Transit, please contact the Executive Director at 765-458-7277 or by email: [email protected].
If you are a current Fayette County Public Transit user, you may be asking, “How will this impact me?”
Here is the information that you need to be aware of:
- Fayette County Council on Aging (FCCoA) will no longer be the federally funded transit provider for rural public transportation services within the county. While FCCoA may continue to operate at some level of transportation service, those services will be operated at the sole discretion of FCCoA.
- Public transportation service will continue to operate in Connersville and Fayette County but will be provided by Whitewater Valley Regional Transit. Rides can be scheduled with Whitewater Valley Regional Transit by calling 765-458-7277. Rides can be scheduled in advance, with same day service available; based on driver and vehicle availability.
- Until the vehicle signage and logos can be updated, your service could be provided in a vehicle with Fayette County signage or Union County signage.
- Days and Hours of operation in Fayette County will be: Monday through Friday 6am to 6pm
- Whitewater Valley Regional Transit has contracts to provide service under LCP, Verida, Modivcare, and Well Trans. If you are eligible under one of these vendors, we can provide your qualifying non-emergency medical transportation at no cost to you.
- Fares for riding Whitewater Valley Regional Transit in Fayette County are $2.00 each way within city limits and $5.00 each way outside of the city limits.
Whitewater Valley Regional Transit looks forward to being your preferred transportation provider. If you have questions about our service, please contact: the main office at 765-458-7277.
Sincerely,
Trisha Dearth-Adkins
Executive Director
Union County Council on Aging and Aged
