Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority

Since 2017, the Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority operates on a zone-based fare system. Travel in Martinsburg costs $2.00, travel between Martinsburg and Inwood costs $2.50, travel between Martinsburg and Charles Town costs $3.00 and travel between Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry costs $3.50. Fare cards, day passes, and monthly passes are offered.^[4][5]

By 2000, fares costed between $1.00 and $2.50.^[6] This was raised to between $1.25 and $2.50 by 2002.^[7]

Fixed routes

The Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority operates the following routes:^[8][9][10]

• Route 10
• Route 11
• Route 12
• Route 14
• Route 16 (Jefferson County)
• Route 18 (Inwood)
• Route 20 (Jefferson County)
• Route 25 (Evening)
• Route 30 (Evening)
• Route 35 (Saturday)
• Route 40 (Saturday)
• Ram Express (Shepherd University)
• Ram Force One (Shepherd University)
• MARC-H
• MARC-M

Between 1979 and 1980, the Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority was funded by the Transportation, Remuneration, Incentive Program (TRIP), which was a five year public transportation improvement program in West Virginia. The agency was funded by section 147 of the Federal Highway Administration and by Governor's Counter-Cyclical, local, and state funds.^[11]

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

The Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority was founded in 1976 as a rural area transit system.^{[1][2][3]: 1}

In 1994, the Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority was funded by the Federal Transit Administration's section 18 program.^[12]

In 2002, a bus facility was built at 446 Novak Drive in Martinsburg^[13]: 2 near the Tabler Station Business Park.^[14] The agency also drafted up a proposal to improve EPTA transit service along Route 9 to relive traffic congestion.^{[7]: 1–26} Around this time, the Martinsburg Mall was a hub for the agency.^{[6][7]: 3–26}

In May 2004, the agency realigned bus routes and served new housing complexes.^[15] The agency added new bus routes in 2005.^[16] In December 2007, EPTA started charter bus service for private companies in a fifty-mile radius from its headquarters.^[17]

In 2012, EPTA was designated as a "small urban area" transit system.^[2]

From November 15, 2013, to December 15, EPTA launched a pilot project after an agreement between the agency and Macy's to provide transportation between Hagerstown and the Macy's complex in Martinsburg. EPTA wanted to provide full-time service to the complex and expand the pilot into Winchester. Around the same time, a government shutdown financially affected the agency's route to Harpers Ferry.^[18]

Bus service to Shepherd University started in 2014.^[19] The service started with two round trips to Caperton Train station and all day service around Shepherd University. The service was free to collage students with a valid ID.^[20]

In 2015, the public transit agency realigned its bus routes to due the agency's growth;^[4] which increased ridership for the system.^[2]

The Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority received a grant in 2007 to build three bus shelters, the first one being completed in 2017 via a public–private partnership at Shepherd University's Martinsburg campus for its high ridership. The agency wanted to add three more shelters at this time.^[21]

In April 2018, the agency added new bus routes as well as realignments to existing ones. This was done to add more transfers and to expand serve into Inwood.^[22][23] In 2019, EPTA announced six new vehicles and busses to serve increasing ridership and to replace vehicles operating since 2011.^[24]

The COVID-19 pandemic affected EPTA by loss ridership and sick drivers.^{[25][26]: 1} In June 2020, EPTA released a transit development draft which proposed extending hours on its transit system, extending and reconfiguring routes, and discontinuing evening and Saturday service for regular bus service at those times.^[27]

In 2022, it was proposed to create a commuter bus line to the Ashburn Metrorail station by December 2023.^{[28][29][25][30]: 1} The line planned to travel between Martinsburg and the Metro station with one intermediate stop at Ranson's Potomac Marketplace; which planned to have a park-and-ride.^{[25][30]: 2, 4} According to EPTA in 2025, the proposal was "too costly".^[26]: 54

In the summer of 2023, a bus shelter was installed in the Shepherd University in front of the Stutzman-Slonaker Hall alongside student-led funding for a shelter on H-Lot on the west site of the school.^[19] In the fall of 2023, the shuttle bus for MARC train 875 was temporarily discontinued due to construction on U.S. Route 340.^[31][32][33] The other shuttle, which was for MARC train 883, operated on a detour. Both shuttles were restored on December 4, 2023 after the road finished completion.^[34]

In the EPTA draft plan from 2025, the agency recommended new routes and realignments of existing routes. The proposal planned to serve Spring Mills, Hedgesville, and the VA Medical Center, as well as add more Saturday routes.^{[26]: 1, 64–83}

Transit center

In 2016, the Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority studied to build a transit center and maintenance facility to replace the current transit hub at Martinsburg station and the current facility at 446 Novak Drive in Martinsburg, which was over capacity and was far out from where the agency served.^{[35][14][3]: 6} The plan costed approximately $75,000, was funded by the agency and the West Virginia Division of Public Transit.^[35] The project was further developed in 2017^[13]: 3 and 2020.^[36] By 2022, the project was 30% completed.^[37]

On June 19, 2024, EPTA started construction on the transit center, which is located at Race and Raleigh Street. This is planned to be 24,200 square feet with six bays, a park and ride, and bicycle parking for the transit center and eight charging stations and a fueling station at the maintenance facility.^[38][39][40]