GoBus Announces Highest Regional Ridership Since 2014 and Receipt of New Grant Funding Award
October 14, 2019
GOBUS
ETCOG’s rural transportation system, GoBus, announces rapid growth of regional ridership. GoBus provided a total of 105,257 trips for Fiscal Year 2019 from September 1st through August 31st. This is the agency’s highest ridership since 2014 credited to a fare reduction in 2018 as well as new leadership’s emphasis on increasing trip coordination.
GoBus is a rural transportation service providing over 105,000 trips annually to our 14-county region in East Texas. GoBus strives to deliver safe, reliable, and friendly rural transportation services to the community through an easy reservation process and inexpensive fare. GoBus demand response transit service provides access to jobs, medical appointments, social services, shopping or any other destination requested.
GoBus leaders recently attended the Special Districts Summit hosted by AT&T and Government Technology in Houston, Texas, offering professional development providing tools, actionable plans and a professional network to help ensure the organization is “future ready.” At the summit, GoBus was awarded a Technology Innovation Award for recently implementing its new fare system with the use of Square credit card processing to provide a more dynamic and efficient way to collect fares from passengers. (Pictured: Melissa Cure, GoBus Business Development Manager)
New grant funding has also been awarded to GoBus for service expansion. The Edwin A. Blue and Janice Owen Miller Charitable Fund awarded $10,000 to expand service in Henderson County for seniors’ trips into Tyler. This county has seen a considerable amount of growth in trips and is in our top three counties achieving the highest ridership. An additional $5,000 was granted by an anonymous foundation to increase service for seniors and persons with disabilities in areas where GoBus is experiencing an increase in demand.
“We are doing our best to keep rural east Texas transportation services up to date with technology while providing all the options and services our passengers expect,” said Vince Huerta, ETCOG’s Director of Transportation. “We hope to have more opportunities in the future to continue altering GoBus services for the better. I am really proud of staff being open to new ideas and innovations and making them happen!”
GoBus provides daily local service within Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Harrison, Henderson, Marion, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood Counties and the non-urbanized areas of Gregg and Smith Counties. Trips from the rural areas into the urbanized areas of Longview or Tyler are offered on Tuesdays & Thursdays. GoBus trips are booked by calling 800-590-3371 to speak with our dispatch office.
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The GoBus Service Expansion Pilot Programs are proving to be a major success, helping connect more people to the places they need to go. Launched earlier this year, GoBus added additional routes in several counties and the new GoNOW microtransit service in Palestine, which has already boosted ridership and expanded travel options for residents across the region. ETCOG's Transportation Director, Vince Huerta, shared that the frequency of service from rural areas into nearby cities has increased by an average of 75 percent in the participating counties. In Palestine, the GoNOW microtransit service has grown ridership by 22 percent within its first few months. “These are just a few of the measurable ways Service Expansion funds are directly benefiting our communities,” Huerta said. “Transportation isn’t just about mobility. It’s a lifeline for people to maintain independence, access medical care, secure jobs, and stay connected.” The pilot programs have made immediate impacts in Henderson, Anderson, Cherokee, Camp, Upshur, Harrison, Marion, and Van Zandt counties. Residents now have new or expanded routes into larger cities such as Tyler and Longview, more frequent connections, and local microtransit options. Community surveys and rider requests pointed to a need for more reliable connections to jobs, healthcare, and essential services. The Service Expansion Program is helping close those gaps and strengthen the entire 14-county region. Huerta also recognized the support of TxDOT staff in making the pilot projects a reality. “Our TxDOT Public Transportation Coordinator, Nancy Hoehn, has been an essential part of making these programs successful, and we are grateful for her ongoing commitment and support,” he said. GoBus will continue to monitor ridership, gather community feedback, and review performance to determine next steps. For more information about routes, schedules, and GoBus services, visit www.gobustransit.com or call 903-218-6450 .
Pictured left to right: Baylea Evans, GoBus Strategic Development Manager; David Cleveland, ETCOG Executive Director; Lindsay Vanderbilt, Communications Director; Dylan Cook, Communications Specialist; Katey Pilgram, Associate Director of Transportation The East Texas Council of Governments ' rural transit system, GoBus, is pleased to be a recipient of the South West Transit Association's (SWTA) Annual Spotlight Awards. The awards celebrate the exceptional efforts and contributions of transit agencies and organizations across the region that have significantly impacted their communities. ETCOG received the Hit The Spot: Social Media Award for rural systems for our campaign, “On the GO with GoBus!” produced to promote service availability in the rural areas surrounding Longview for residents of White Oak, Lakeport, Hallsville, and Gladewater. "We are thrilled to win a Spotlight Award for our social media campaign developed to raise awareness of public transportation options available within the Longview Urbanized Zone, but outside the city limits where city bus service is not available. These communities, though part of the urban area, were without access to reliable transit. Through TxDOT funding and a unique partnership between Longview Transit and GoBus, we were able to extend service to these underserved areas. The campaign focused on educating residents about their new access to affordable, reliable transportation options,” said ETCOG's Communications Director, Lindsay Vanderbilt. Our Associate Director of Transportation, Katey Pilgram, joined other award recipients and marketing experts to share details on their award-winning campaigns and projects at the SWTA Summer University Conference held July 27-30, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The awards – reviewed and judged by marketing and communication professionals at transit agencies and private marketing firms – are among the oldest awards recognizing marketing campaigns and projects in the public transportation industry, first awarded in 1990. SWTA's membership covers Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Recently, the Texas Veterans Commission's (TVC) Fund for Veterans' Assistance (FVA) announced its largest funding in the 16-year history of FVA programs, with 213 grants totaling $46,315,000 to provide services to an estimated 40,000 veterans. ETCOG is proud to be one of the grant recipients selected with $250,000 of those funds to provide GoBus transportation services for veterans in our 14-county service region. "It is an honor to receive this funding award from the Texas Veterans Commission and Chair Koerner, which allows us to continue our mission to support all East Texas veterans," said Vince Huerta, GoBus Director. "We are dedicated to growing the program and look forward to assisting more veterans this year." With the grant, our public transit system, GoBus, will fund trips to and from medical, dental, and mental health appointments, as well as trips for basic needs such as grocery stores, community meetings, voting, court appearances, and tax offices. These trips are available to veterans, veteran spouses and dependents, survivor spouses, and active military personnel. The grant is in partnership with over $46.3 million in grants for veterans, Governor Abbott announced on May 20 . “Texas is forever indebted to the brave men and women who answered the call to serve in our nation's military,” said Governor Abbott. “The State of Texas is home to over 1.5 million veterans—more than any other state. This has shaped our mission to provide wide-ranging services for veterans and their families. With over $46,315,000 in state grants, Texas will help thousands of veterans and their families access vital support and resources needed to thrive in our great state. Texas will always support our veterans and honor their sacrifices to our state and our nation.” Find out about all veteran transport services GoBus offers by visiting www.gobustransit.com/govet .
