The Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency, ATA Bus, has received an award of excellence from the Federal Transit Administration Region VII for the highest percentage increase in ridership.

The ATA Bus Board President Florence Whitebread said there was a 40% increase in ridership during the past year. “This increase was an increase of 9,223 riders, and it was among all rural transit providers in Kansas. This was all due to the big ridership increase that we’ve had in Geary County.

Whitebread was part of the initial discussions to bring the ATA Bus service to Geary County. She didn’t expect it to grow this fast. “I thought it would grow but I didn’t think it would grow this fast, and we have grown tremendously fast. I think in the first seven days that school has started I forget how many riders, but the increase in ridership in kids using it for school is tremendous.”

ATA Bus has both fixed route and on-call by appointment bus ride service. In addition to Geary County they also provide service in Riley and Pottawatomie Counties.