News
Go-Bus Expanding Service
By: WOUB Staff Writer
Posted on:
Go-Bus is expanding by offering rides to more destinations.
Now, riders can get a connecting ride to go to Cleveland.
The Go-Bus Intercity Bus Service is a collaboration among the Ohio Department of Transportation, The City of Athens, and Hocking Athens Perry Community Action.
The company originally only ran buses twice daily from Athens to Columbus or Athens to Cincinnati.
However, Go-Bus has just introduced their connecting rides, which allow the rider to board the bus in Athens, switch buses in Columbus, and board a second bus that takes them to Cleveland.
Manager Caroline Conley says the company is able to expand its routes because it is doing so well.
"Yes, it is doing very well. We've been working on this whole thing since June of 2010. The buses started operating in November 2010 so we haven't been in operation quite a year yet. It's very successful. We've had a lot of riders. This whole thing wasn't designed to be profitable. Community Action is a non-profit organization. It's grant money given to the City of Athens through the federal government to run this. So where we're not making money, we're bringing in enough revenue to keep ourselves afloat. We do have federal money secured all the way through 2015 and we don't see any problem after 2015 getting more funding or finding other ways to keep ourselves going," says Conley.
The company is also in discussion about a day trip to Columbus from Athens, but it will not be decided until 2012 at the earliest.