FAYETTEVILLE -- Veterans will be able to ride Ozark Regional Transit buses for free on all fixed routes beginning Monday, according to Joel Gardner, executive director.
"This program is not just for the service-connected veterans, it's for anybody that has a veteran's identification," Gardner said recently. "It's anywhere they want to go, if they need to go shopping, if they need to go visit, if they need to go to medical appointments, whatever they need to do, get on the bus."
The policy is for fixed routes only, while the prescheduled para-transit and demand/response service will remain at the regular fare, ORT officials said.
Gardner proposed the idea to his board of directors May 25, and it was approved unanimously.
Veterans service organizations are overwhelmed with transportation needs because they don't have enough vehicles nor drivers, Gardner told the board.
Wanda Shull, public affairs officer for Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, said it's thrilled with the idea.
"Anything that helps veterans access their care or jobs, anything like that, we fully support," Shull said. "ORT has been a supporter of ours and veterans for a long time."
NW News on 06/04/2017