ROGERS (KFSM) -- A new Ozark Regional Transit bus route began servicing students and workers Monday (Aug. 24) in Rogers.
The new Route 53 runs from Rogers Technical High School to Ozark Mountain Poultry and Serco from 5:25 to 7:10 a.m. It then runs until 4:25 in the afternoon with stops at those two companies and Northwest Arkansas Community College. The bus also runs from 12:25 a.m. to 2:15 a.m. to pick up and drop off workers with overnight shifts.
Jeff Hatley, the ORT mobility manager and public information officer, said ORT implemented the new route after having a lot of success with a similar route that shuttles workers to and from several factories, including Tyson and George's, in Springdale.
"We funded that ourselves because we had lower than expected fuel costs this year," Hatley said.
After seeing ORT's success in Springdale, companies in Rogers asked for assistance as well to help retain workers.
"Some of their turnover was related to medical issues, some of it was related to daycare issues and some of it was related to transportation," Hatley said. "So they started looking at what can we do, what is the lowest hanging fruit."
Hatley said the routes in Rogers and Springdale have specific stops and are not on a flag-down system. The bus routes cost $1.25 each way and $30 for a monthly pass. More information on the route and times can be found here.