Last year, PennDOT quietly disconnected Shenandoah area from cross-state bus routes
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL FILE - A Fullington bus in Shenandoah in 2019. Fullington previously connected Shenandoah to the state's cross-state bus system until PennDOT subsidy cuts quietly disconnected our area.
SHENANDOAH – Since last April, the Shenandoah area has been disconnected from the cross-state bus routes that connect the Commonwealth’s population centers, following quiet PennDOT cuts to service.
PennDOT subsidizes several bus routes, which are provided by either Fullington Trailways or Greyhound, connecting places like Philadelphia, Easton, Wilkes-Barre, and Williamsport and points in-between.
Two of those routes, between Philadelphia and Williamsport and between New York City and Shamokin, served Shenandoah, Mahanoy City, Ashland, Frackville, Mount Carmel, and Tamaqua. Those were provided by Fullington, and until 2017 by Susquehanna Trailways through those subsidies.
With little notice besides a post on Fullington’s website at the time, PennDOT cut the subsidy for that route in April of 2022, disconnecting the northern Schuylkill region from the larger cross-state bus system.
“Fullington Trailways challenged the state’s decisions the entire way through this process, but it became clear due to their budgetary constraints that Fullington Trailways would not be able to retain certain existing daily routes going forward,” Jonathan Berzas, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fullington, said in the notice. “We regret that we will be unable to serve to some rural communities we have so enjoyed providing safe and reliable transportation to for so many years.”
Currently, the only public transit option in the Shenandoah area is the Schuylkill Transportation System, which provides fixed-route buses between here, Ashland, Mahanoy City, and Pottsville. No direct service is provided to Hazleton.
About Author
