Mountain Lynx seeks input on proposed transit route changes

Mountain Lynx Transit is seeking public input on proposed changes to the routes and schedules for its blue and red loops in Galax.

It will host a public open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 23 at the Crossroads Institute, 1117 E. Stuart Drive in Galax.

One reason for the changes is that the transit’s Galax office, currently at 300 W. Oldtown St., is moving to the Crossroads Institute, according to Melanie Fleenor, the transit’s director of transportation. The new location offers a conference room, more space and more parking for buses.

“We have been thinking about tweaking our Galax routes for some time, so we are taking advantage of this office relocation as an opportunity to revise routes and schedules to improve our service and better serve our riders,” Fleenor said. “We developed the proposed routes after a lot of conversation with our drivers. We are taking into consideration how to best serve our existing ridership and make our service more convenient and reliable and potentially easier to use for new riders.”

Mountain Lynx has been providing transit service in Galax since the early 1990s and also serves Bland, Carroll, Grayson, Smyth, Washington and Wythe counties, the towns of Abingdon, Marion and Wytheville, and the city of Bristol. It is a free service and is the transportation arm of the District Three Governmental Cooperative.

Much of its funding comes from state and federal grants. The localities served pay an amount corresponding to the level of service they receive, and that money is used as a local match for the grant funding, according to Fleenor.

Systemwide, it recorded 167,558 boardings in fiscal year 2023, she said. For Galax alone, it saw 31,007 boardings.

The proposed routes are similar to existing routes and would retain popular stops like apartment complexes, Walmart and Food City, which would remain a transfer point.

On the proposed routes, new stops have been added at the Crossroads Institute, Wytheville Community College, Twin County Regional Hospital and the farmers market. In addition to the Oldtown transfer stop, the stop at the Dollar General on South Main Street would be removed. But the transit would continue to serve the southern areas of Galax with its demand-response service, which is based on passenger requests for pickups in areas not served by the loops, Fleenor said.

No changes have been proposed for the demand-response service within Galax, where one bus is dedicated within the city limits from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

No changes will be made until public input is received. The public is welcome to comment prior to the open house via email at mfleenor@district-three.org , on the phone at 276-783-8157, or on the District Three Governmental Cooperative’s Facebook page .

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