The normal route runs Monday-Thursday 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Friday 6:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-9 p.m. To board a bus, in-town riders must have $2 cash for a one-way ride to their destination. If you do not have cash on hand, you can purchase a $20 punch pass from Kirksville City Hall using a card, or you can sign up for an account on the OATS webpage and put money on your rider pass.
Jill Stedem, administrative and development director for OATS, said winter brings unique challenges to providing bus services in Kirksville. Snow, ice and extremely low temperatures often result in cancellations. Stedem said OATS typically follows the guidance of the local school system, but there are situations in which the transit service would stop operations despite inaction by local school districts. In order to find out about cancellations, you look at their Facebook page “OATS Transit” for regular updates.
Stedem said OATS is unique because it provides services for several college campuses and towns across the state. Though students don’t get special rates, Kirksville subsidies make riding a bus affordable compared to taking a taxi, rideshare or scooters.
Stedem also said OATS is working hard to make their services more accessible and appealing to college students. OATS Transit is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation that provides transportation for 87 counties in Missouri.
“We’re currently working on developing a ‘Where’s my Ride?’ app … if you are a rider that is using the OATS service you can use the app to see how far away your bus is,” Stedem said.
OATS also accommodates individuals who cannot make it to the bus due to a result of a disability. The deviated route must be within three quarters of a mile of a provided OATS bus stop. Anyone with a disability may call 800-654-6287 24 hours in advance to reserve a deviated route.
OATS has several openings for drivers on their website. If you are interested in applying for a position, visit https://www.oatstransit.org/.
Stops: (Repeating on the hour)
7:00a.m. — Kirksville Gardens Apartments
7:02a.m. — R.A.I.L. (1100 S Jamison)
7:05a.m. — Sheraton Square Apartments
7:08a.m. — Hy-Vee Food & Drug
7:11a.m. — Village 76/Kirksville Housing Authority
7:14a.m. — 1506 Crown Drive
7:17a.m. — Field Arms Apartments
7:21a.m. — Walmart
7:25a.m. — Aldi
7:28a.m. — Family Services/Voc. Rehab Offices (1612 N Osteopathy)
7:32a.m. — Traveler’s Hotel Apartments
7:35a.m. — Gutensohn Clinic
7:38a.m. — St. Andrew’s Apartments
7:40a.m. — Community Opportunities Sheltered Workshop/Michigan and Randolph
7:43a.m. — Truman State University
(Franklin and Randolph)
7:45a.m. — Preferred Family Healthcare (LaHarpe Campus)
7:47a.m. — Kirksville Heights Apartments
7:49a.m. — Northeast Regional Health & Fitness Center
7:51a.m. — High Hope Employment Services (906 East Shepherd)
7:54a.m. — Adair County SB 40 Office (1107 Country Club)
Fares (one-way):
- $2.00 for in-town riders
- $3.00 for county service
- $4.00 going to an adjacent county
- $10.00 round trip (or $6 one-way) for long distance travel
- $1.00 fee for each en-route stop
*Seniors age 60+ and individuals with disabilities age 18-59 riding under the AAA contract do not have a set fare, but are asked to contribute a minimum amount for their rides.