KATS Continues to Provide Transportation for Area

On any given weekday, 19 Kibois Area Transit System vehicles are transporting more than 300 riders to either work, dialysis, medical appointments, classes, the grocery store, shopping or other appointments.

Charla Sloan, KATS director, shared information about the transportation services KATS has provided since 1998 and continues to provide today to members of the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce last week.

“Our buses are open to the public,” Sloan said. “We take people to work. We take people to dialysis. It doesn’t matter if you’re poor or rich; we all need transportation.”

Sloan asked for people to think about what they would do – or wouldn’t be able to do – without transportation.

“This is what KATS does; we take up that slack,” she added.

Seventeen of KATS’ vehicles are ADA-compliant, with wheelchair lifts. Drivers are not only certified drivers, but are also trained and certified in CPR, and other areas.

“We try to put the best people out there,” Sloan said.

Demand response hours for KATS are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; cost is $1.50 per trip and only .50 cents with a CIB card.

Sloan said work routes and TANF routes run from 6 to 8 a.m., with free transportation for Medicaid clients through SoonerRide. They also offer rides for veterans as needed.

A Cherokee Nation route from Sallisaw to Tahlequah leaves Cherokee Casino in Sallisaw each weekday at 6:25 a.m., arriving in Tahlequah before 8 a.m. It leaves Cherokee Casino Sallisaw again at 4 p.m. to be in Tahlequah by 5 p.m. to return riders back to Sallisaw. Cost for that route is .50 cents each way and free on Fridays.

“And this route is open to the public,” Sloan said, adding that a rider doesn’t have to be a Cherokee Nation citizen to ride.

For those with business in Roland or Muldrow, routes go from Sallisaw to those cities Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while routes to Vian and Marble City run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sloan said routes to Fort Smith run several times a day.

“We also go from here to Stigler, Muskogee, Tulsa, or Oklahoma City,” Sloan said, stressing that the rides are open to the public. “We want to provide transportation. We want to make it as affordable as possible.”

If you need to schedule a ride or would like more information about KATS services, call 918-775-7433 or drop by the office at 1206 W. Redwood in Sallisaw.

Pam Cloud, Managing News Director

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