New bus route offers free transportation to key locations

MOUNT VERNON – Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 6, local residents who lack transportation found it a little bit easier to get to several popular locations in Mount Vernon – for free.

Knox Public Health and Knox Area Transit (KAT) have joined forces to provide free transportation to seven different locations – places frequently visited for health care, food and other resources. Stops at each location are scheduled every 30 minutes, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The locations are The Station Break, 160 Howard St.; Knox County Service Center, Chestnut Street entrance; Kroger, 855 Coshocton Ave.; Knox Community Hospital, 1330 Coshocton Ave.; Knox Public Health, 11660 Upper Gilchrist Road; Opportunity Knox, 17604 Coshocton Ave.; and Wal-Mart, 1575 Coshocton Ave.

“Transportation is always identified as a barrier to health care,” said Knox County Health Commissioner Zach Green, “as well as other important sites like grocery and retail stores and resource offices. We are hoping this new route will help people get to where they need to go – at a minimum cost and, in most cases, no cost at all.”

There is only a charge if a someone needs to be picked up home and taken to one of the stops on the new route or taken home after riding the new route, said KAT Director Martin McAvoy. 

“Once on the new route, there is no charge to travel to any of the seven stops. If a resident lives within walking distance of any of the locations on the route, they can directly access the new route during its scheduled stop and be able to travel to any of the other stops on the route for free," McAvoy said. 

Schedules with pick-up times will be posted at each of the stops on the new route.

The new route is funded by grant monies from both agencies that were awarded to increase access to services. The funding will cover project costs through June 2023, at which time the agencies will evaluate the success of the project. If it is used by area residents and increases access to needed resources, both agencies indicate a commitment to finding permanent funding for the route.