| OATS Transit | |
| Trading Name: | OATS Transit Inc. |
| Industry: | Transport |
| Founded: | , in Macon, Missouri |
| Area Served: | Missouri |
| Key People: | Dorothy Yeager (executive director) |
| Services: | Transportation |
| Num Employees: | 560 |
OATS Transit Inc. (OATS being an initialism for operating above the standard) is an American 501(c) private not-for-profit road transport corporation, which operates in all 114 counties of Missouri.
OATS was founded in 1970 in Macon, Missouri as a private company. It started with five drivers serving eight counties.[1] The first vans were used in November 1971, starting out with only three.[2] In 1973, they were changed into a nonprofit by the state of Missouri.[3]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, they suspended their services in St. Louis County and St. Charles County,[4] and later provided free rides for people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.[5] On July 1, 2023, they stopped accepting cash payments, instead requiring riders to pay online, for $2 for a one-way ride.[6]
In 2022, OATS employees gave 1 million rides and traveled 11 million miles, averaging 4,200 rides a day. They employ 560 people, with 100 of those people working in offices, and the remaining 460 being drivers.
OATS provides transportation every day of the year except for on certain holidays. They provide scheduled transportation, similar to city buses, and in some counties, door-to-door transportation, similar to Uber.
In 2021, the city of Adair County gave OATS a $1,500 check to provide door-to-door service.[7] That same year, they received a grant from the Laclede Electric Trust during a driver shortage to buy a new minivan to use in Camden County.[8]
In 2022, they received a $100,000 grant from the Sunderland Foundation.[9]
In 2023, they received a $2,500 donation from POET Bioprocessing to fund transportation.[10] In January 2024, they received a $4,000 donation from Cuivre River Electric Cooperative, also to fund a vehicle.[11]
In March 2024, they received a $16,052 grant from the Boone Electric Community Trust.[12]