Truman Area Transportation Service has now been serving Lamar and the citizens of Barton County for fifteen years. On September 13, 1994 T.A.T.S. transported its first passenger to and from a doctor’s appointment. That was the only rider of the day.

Things have changed drastically since 1994. T.A.T.S. now averages 92 one way trips per day. This is about one rider every 7.5 minute. The most riders per day still stand at 165 on March 1, 2006.

In September of 2009 a small celebration was held to commemorate the 15th anniversary. Several retired TATS drivers were in attendance to reminisce about their experiences and people they had met along the way. When operation began there was a delay in the delivery of the handicapped accessible van and start dates had already been set. Chief of Police and Director of Services for T.A.T.S., Ron Hager had an old police car, a 1988 Chevy Caprice, that was going to be sold. Instead of selling the cruiser, T.A.T.S. put the car to good use from 1994 to 1997. Shortly after starting, the van arrived and T.A.T.S. could then begin carrying wheelchair bound riders.

In 2009 T.A.T.S. provided 25,483 rides to all types of places. The largest number of rides was shopping for personal needs. The next was for employment, followed by nutrition, medical, social and educational purposes. This total is slightly down from 2008. Changes in transportation rules may have contributed to the decrease by preventing abuse of the service by excessive riding of some passengers. The economic health of the county was also at play causing less spendable income for some citizens; therefore they did not ride as much.

The focus clientele are the senior citizens and disabled in the community however, anyone can ride with T.A.T.S. for a small fee. Early in 2009 Lamar Schools were using T.A.T.S. on a contract basis for children with special transportation needs. With the start of a new school year in the fall the services were no longer needed. If the need should arise again T.A.T.S. would be happy to renew the relationship. Daily, T.A.T.S. provides service to the employees of the Lamar Enterprises, (Sheltered Workshop) who live in town and have no other means of transportation to and from work. T.A.T.S. also coordinates with all of the residential care facilities in town to transport their residents. The general public is also welcome to use T.A.T.S. for their means of transportation. “We Transport Everyone.”

Senior Citizen over 60, ride on a donation basis.
Handicapped rides are $.50 per one way trip
Regular Fare rides are $2.00.

Handicapped citizens of Lamar are, by far, the largest group using the service for getting about. Up until 2009 they were allowed to use the service for free or on a donation basis. This year,because of the deficit in funding and rising operational expenses, the difficult decision was made to begin charging fifty cents per one way trip . A coupon program has been a big success with repeat riders. They can buy a card for $5.00 and get 10 rides. The program has also been good for the citizens whose income is managed by the Public Administrator. At the beginning of each month coupons are purchased to accommodate the needs of the riders so they do not have to worry about how they will pay.

T.A.T.S. has participated in several local events to raise funds to help reduce the annual loss. In May T.A.T.S. employees cooked hamburgers on the square during Truman Days and raised $556.00 in just over 4 hours. The Barton County Chamber of Commerce invited T.A.T.S. to cook burgers and brats for lunch in front of the Chamber office and raised an incredible $801.00. Third Thursday Music at the Bandstand raised $338.00 and peanut sales during the Lamar Fair raised another $166.00.

Funding for this Community Betterment project continues to come from Federal and State Grants with local matching contributions. The City of Lamar houses and administers the project with Ronald Hager as Director of Service. Ginnie Keatts is the coordinator of daily operations. Georgia Carr is a part time office assistant and fill-in driver. George Carr, Gary Bybee, Pam Moore and Walt Cody are the “driving force”. Tom Cook, the first T.A.T.S. driver still fills in occasionally as does Brenda Bogar.

Truman Area Transportation Hours are: Mon - Fri 6:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Dial 417-682-5542 to schedule a ride. Scheduling in advance is helpful.