Amtran’s BlairRides public transportation service now offers a direct connection with no transfers between Tyrone, Bellwood, Walmart and the Logan Valley Mall in Altoona.
BlairRides began on September 7 offering three round-trips daily, Monday through Friday, connecting Tyrone, Bellwood and Altoona. There are also five “Tyrone loops” daily for travel within the borough.
Stops in Tyrone include: Tyrone-Snyder Public Library, Tyrone Hospital, Pennsylvania House, Blair Medical Associates, Sheetz, Sylvan Acres, Epworth Manor, M&T Bank, and the Tyrone Train Station. Other area stops are at the Pinecroft Park and Ride, DelGrosso’s Park, the Bellwood Library, Hometown Market, Pinecroft Fire Hall, the Altoona Hospital and the Downtown Transit Center.
Senior citizens, age 65 and older, can ride free every day on all routes except when boarding between 7-8 a.m. and between 4:30-5:30 p.m. The “Seniors Ride Free” program is underwritten by the Lottery.
The objective of this service is to provide transportation for northern Blair County.
Originally the transportation service did not hit all of the major destinations in Altoona, but linked up with the Altoona bus service. The link between the two transportation systems made traveling around the city much easier.
However, individuals involved in the development of the system realized that there eventually would need to be changes made once everything got underway and they were prepared to alter their plans as they saw necessary, in order to provide the best possible service.
A Blair Senior Service representative stated that once the service got up and running for a period of time, it would be easier to assess the needs of the public.
Based on customer feedback, Amtran recently announced that they have added the Logan Valley Mall and Walmart to the BlairRides route so no transfer is needed.
The trip starting in Tyrone at 12:30 p.m. no arrives at Logan Valley Mall at 1:50 p.m. and at Walmart at 1:55 p.m. The return trip now leaves Walmart at 3:30 p.m., stops at Logan Valley Mall at 3:40 p.m. and arrives back in Tyrone at 4:45 p.m.
According to Amtran General Manager Eric Wolf, “When we originally designed BlairRides, it was with the idea that we could adjust it based on what our customers want. Our customers want to get to Logan Valley Mall and Walmart without transferring, so that’s what we’re doing.”
For more information, call BlairRides at 1-800-458-5552. The service is open to the public.
