Susquehanna University students to offer ideas to improve Lower Anthracite Transit System
Published: February 13, 2010
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share thisSELSINSGROVE - Three Susquehanna University students will be offering their ideas on how to improve the Lower Anthracite Transit System as part of a semester project, according to James King, executive director of the Northumberland County Industrial Development Authority and member of the Economic Development Committee of the Brush Valley Chamber of Commerce.
"The goal is to get some people not from our area to take a look at it and see what could possibly be improved," said King.
The chamber has been working with LATS for about a year to improve the system in terms of ridership and visibility. Last summer, King said he met with representatives of Susquehanna University and pitched the idea of a student project.
Associate Professor of Management Paul Dion contacted King before the Spring 2010 semester and expressed interest in pursuing the project.
The three students - Mike Sofis, of the Pittsburgh area, Heather Moore, of New Jersey, and Simone Salmon, of New York - will meet with representatives of LATS and the chamber soon for a meet-and-greet and tour of the area to which LATS caters. Previous meetings had been postponed due to snow.
"To have students bringing that kind of expertise to the real world to a program that needs some help, it's a win-win," said Warren Altomare, a member of the Brush Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce board of directors and its economic development committee who has headed up the project.
The goal, said King, is to bring the students to the area and allow them to get a sense of the area, where the business centers are and give them an opportunity to meet LATS chairman Jerry Matzura and chamber Director Sandy Winhofer. Any questions would be addressed then.
Once that meeting takes place, said Altomare, more information will be available.
"This system has been in place for more than 20 years," said King. "We need to change some fo the perceptions."
The general perception is that LATS is for elderly riders only. But there is potential for much more than the 45,000 annual rides the three LATS buses currently provide, particularly in an era when a broad spectrum of the public is looking for transportation options, Altomare said last year.
LATS is one of the last programs of its kind in the state, an offshoot of the former Ashland and Shamokin bus lines.
Its three buses run Monday through Saturday. The longest route, one that takes riders to Mount Carmel from Shamokin, or vice versa, costs a rider $2.25. Senior citizens ride the bus free all day Saturdays and during off-peak hours during the week.
Funding for LATS comes mostly from federal and state grants through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania State Lottery Senior Citizen Free Transit Fund.
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