Rural veteran transportation program logs 500,000 miles

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Oregon’s Highly Rural Transportation Program, a federal, state and local partnership helping meet the transportation needs of veterans in rural areas, has logged over 500,000 miles in its first two years of operation.

Veterans who were served by this program were transported all over the Pacific Northwest to see doctors and receive medical care. The grants are implemented through local transportation entities.

Grant County is serviced through the People Mover, which goes to Bend, Redmond, Pendleton, Walla Walla, Burns, Baker City and Boise.

Angie Jones, the transportation manager at the People Mover, said the program has been extremely helpful for veterans all over the county.

“We’ve been able to get Grant County residents to any kind of medical appointment, including pharmacy, for free,” she said.

The $50,000 in grant funds is helpful, but it doesn’t get the People Mover all the way there.

“Usually by the 10th month, we’re using general funds,” Jones said. “It’s a limited amount of money, but it’s a valuable service, so we would rather dip into our general operating instead of cutting services.”

Bob Stewart of John Day served in the Marine Corps and describes the service as “an absolute blessing.”

“They come here. They pick me up. They take me where I want to go,” Stewart said. “Seeing as how I’m a veteran, I can go to the doctor, to home health, to any kind of medical thing.”

The program is federally funded by annual grants from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and administered by the state and partner agencies. The

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