I rode the Morgantown Mountain Line! (My First Bus Ride as a Property Tax Payer)

The Mountain Line is a Public Transit Bus in Morgantown, WV.

Morgantown and Monongalia County residents can ride the bus for FREE!

The Property Tax Bus Program is available to property tax payers in Monongalia County.

What is the Mountain Line bus really like?

Is MLTA safe for kids?

Why would I ride the bus when I own a car?

Isn’t the bus gross and full of homeless people?

The Mountain Line. Or is it the “Mountain Lion”?

Either way, “The Bus” gets around Morgantown.

I grew up in rural West Virginia. Way out in the sticks. At 15 years old, I got my learners permit. I learned to drive on dirt roads, twisty back roads, and windy Route 50.

A week after I turned 16, I was licensed to drive.

I have consistently owned a vehicle since I was 16 years old. I’ve been paying property taxes for almost twenty years.

I love to drive!

In fact, I’ve been a “professional road tripper” for almost ten years.

So, why would I take “the bus”?

On a “neighborhood walk” with my little boy; we saw a familiar face. One of the best parts of walking the neighborhood is connecting with our neighbors. The familiar faces make the walk “worthwhile”.

..And I say, HEY!
What a wonderful kind of day!

One of those familiar faces is a sweet lady from “the next street over”. We started up conversation. She went on to tell me about the bus lines..

“For 75 cents and you can go anywhere!”

I told her the truth. I admitted:

“I have NEVER rode the bus”.

She goes on to tell me that it’s always on time.

“And he would LOVE it!

Children under 5 ride the bus for free“

We conspired a plan.

We’ll meet ya at the bus stop tomorrow morning at 9am!

We met at the bus stop at the end of the street. Which is less than a five minute walk from our house.

Climb aboard!

*This is* the *bus* day!
The Bus day we’ve never had!

First impressions:

The driver is so friendly.
I know a few of these folks!
This bus is so clean!
It smells clean in here too.
The seats and floors are clean.
The windows are huge!

Me and the little dude were on cloud nine as we rode up to University Town Center.

“No car seat!”

This was probably even more surreal for him.

Both of us were all smiles.

This is something different!

No need to find a

parking spot!

We got dropped off right in front of Target.

We walked on to the Dollar Tree. Looked around at toys, and got a few snacks.

The next bus came out, “That one is two hours long, it goes all the way to Wadestown”

We headed to Petco as we waited for the next bus.

There’s an app that makes bus tracking simple! Be sure to download the Mountain Line app.

It takes a village, and here comes the bus!

This bus took us to “Depot”.

Which is the terminal in Westover.

Beyond there, you can catch many different busses going all over the city.

As I was riding the bus along the river, the huge windows made for excellent viewing. I’m always driving; I’ve missed out on how beautiful our town truly is.

It’s nice to not have to focus on the roads.

The Don Knotts Bus

As we arrived back to depot; we transferred over to the “free bus” .

(The Don Knotts bus goes around the block at Bartlett House and to 4H Camp Walmart) it’s also FREE.

It’s locally known as “The Homeless Bus”.

First impressions:

The driver is so friendly!
This is a colorful crowd.
This bus is so clean!
It smells clean too.

I felt safe and secure. At 10am, this bus was full-ish. A few of the folks just appeared foolish, ya know?

Safety is #1

…and I felt safe on the bus.

A couple of weeks ago, my landlord told me about the Property Tax Bus Program. Initially when he told me about the program, I’m thinking “Why are they doing this? Like,

… why would you take the bus when you own a car?”

I’m not here to spark a political debate. Whether or not the Mountain Line is “Critical” to you. Or if the Levy makes a difference.

This program exists. It’s inviting!

I invite anyone to embark on an “adventure”!