STS News

 

On May 7th the Schuylkill County Transportation Authority received the “2019 Award for Excellence” in recognition regarding the implementation of their newly acquired Clean Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles.  The award was presented on behalf of the Northeast PA Manufacturers & Employers Association.  The category of submittal was:  Energy Efficiencies/Environmental Improvements.

 

 

Mr. Dave Bekisz is seen accepting the award on behalf of STS at the awards dinner held at the Schuylkill Country Club, Orwigsburg.  The award was presented by Ms. Darlene J. Robbins, President of the Northeast PA Manufacturers & Employers Association. 

 

 

Congratulatory awards were also received from presenters:  Brian Hansbury on behalf of SEDCO; Commissioners Gary Hess, Frank Staudenmeier, George Halcovage on behalf of Schuylkill County Commissioners and Luzerne County Council; Nicole Fidler on behalf of Representative Mike Tobash, Representative Eddie Day Pashinski and Representative Tarah Tohill; Michael McCord, on behalf of Representative Neal Goodman; Mary Beth Dougherty on behalf of Senator Dave Argall and Senator John Yudichak; John Gower on behalf of Congressman Dan Meuser; Aimee Wechsler on behalf of U.S. Senator Bob Casey; Marta Gabriel on behalf of U.S. Senator Pat Toomey; Lance Miller on behalf of NEPA MAEA; and Darlene J. Robbins on behalf of NAM and PMA. 

 

 

 

Dave Bekisz, STS Executive Director (back row; far left) is pictured with 2019 Excellence Award recipients representing Solar Innovations; TC Transcontinental; Inter Metro Industries, Corp.;  Ash-Tec Inc.; Versum Materials; Tredegar; Mid Penn Bank; Access Services; Lehigh Valley Hospital; Penn State University-Schuylkill Campus; and Mrs. T’s Pierogies.  Congratulations to all winners!

 

 

 

Manufacturers and Employers Excellence Award Nomination (Click Here to read submittal)

 

Commissioners  Gary Hess and  George Halcovage enjoyed riding onboard our fixed route buses for National Get on Board day held Thursday, April 25th.  Commissioner Hess traveled onboard the #10 Shenandoah route while Commissioner Halcovage traveled onboard the #20 Minersville route.  Thank you to both Commissioners for Getting on Board with STS!

 

 

 

Doug Whiteash (L) of Schuylkill Haven was the winner of the 30 Day Smart Card which was raffled off at Union Station as a prize for participating in Get on Board Day.  Presenting Doug with his prize winning Smart Card is Gary Martinaitis (R), STS Director of Operations.  Congratulations Doug!

 

 

 

 

 

STS had a total of 1,119 rides onboard our fixed route buses!  Enjoying themselves at Union Station were (L) to (R)-Commissioner Gary Hess; Leo Riedel; Krista Riedel-Yohn (STS Operations Systems Coordinator); Eddie Yurickones (STS Road Supervisor.)

Not only was it National Get on Board day but it was also Take your Child to Work Day.  Leo enjoyed riding onboard the #20 Minersville bus as well as learning about his mom’s work day.  Thanks Leo for spending some time with us!

 

 

Join STS on Thursday, April 25 as they celebrate with the American Public Transportation Association in recognition of National “Get on Board” day.  “Get on Board” day is a new national awareness and advocacy day that is all about generating awareness of and increasing support for public transportation among riders and non-riders, elected officials, and stakeholders.

A special drawing will be held for passengers to enter for a 30 Day Smart Card when they visit Union Station on Thursday, April 25 for “Get on Board” day!

Click here for more information

 

PA Live: YCL New Schuylkill Transportation System App

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictured:  Santa, Cathy and Dave Bekisz, Executive Director of STS.

Congratulations to Cathy Bohn of Pottsville for winning a 30 Day Smart Card!

Cathy donated food items for families in need this holiday season.  Items were collected

at Union Station in Pottsville.  A ticket was given for each food item donated to all participants

and a prize drawing was held on Friday, December 14 at 3:00 p.m.   All donations were then 

given to Schuylkill Community Action for distribution to local food pantries.  

Dave Bekisz and all employees of STS want to thank “everyone” who donated to this worthy cause.

 

 

 

The Schuylkill Transportation System received the Pennsylvania Partner Award from Ecolane ranking STS as second in the state in several categories!  Ecolane is a leading provider in demand-response dispatch and scheduling software in transit, paratransit, NEMT and government industries.

Shawn Schoffstall, STS Scheduler/Dispatcher and Krista Riedel-Yohn, STS Operations Systems Coordinator received the award on behalf of STS while in attendance at the 2018 Ecolane PA Partner Conference held at the Normandy Farm Hotel and Conference Center in Blue Bell, PA.  

As quoted by Dave Bekisz:  “My thanks to everyone as this is a team effort, we should all feel proud of this accomplishment.”

 

The Schuylkill Transportation System provides group trip transportation for registered senior citizens and persons with disabilities to destinations within Schuylkill County and limited out-of-county services to destinations within a 50-mile radius of the county borders.  Destination choices are unlimited and some of Pennsylvania’s most visited attractions are within the service area of STS.  Shopping outlets, malls, recreational facilities and quality dining facilities are just a few of the locations available to you!  Service is available Monday through Friday with limited weekend service.  Days and hours of service are: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am until 9:00 pm and Saturday from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm.  Fares are dependent on distance traveled.  For more information on group trips and rates, please contact the Schuylkill Transportation System at 1-900-832-3322.

*Don’t belong to a group?  Check out the group trip information offered below and call STS for more info!  Customer service representatives Dave and Marianne would love to hear from you.

*2019 Group Trip List (Click Here)

*2019 “Casino” Group Trip List (Click Here)

October 2018: The Schuylkill Transportation System (STS) is proud to introduce to the public five new compressed natural gas vehicles.  The vehicles acquired by STS include two 30 ft. and three 35 ft. buses manufactured by Gillig which will be utilized on the system’s ten fixed routes.  These vehicle are to replace five diesel powered buses that have meet their useful life.

Some of the many advantages of fueling vehicles with Compressed Natural Gas include reduced maintenance costs, expanding the vehicle’s life cycle, and promoting a greener environment by reducing less harmful emissions into the air along with less noise pollution.  And since most natural gas consumed in the United States is produced in North America; resources should be readily available for many future generations. 

STS believes their passengers will also benefit when riding onboard a CNG vehicle since the sound level of a CNG engine is considerable more quiet than a diesel powered engine making for a more quieter and enjoyable ride.

The Schuylkill Transportation System anticipates the acquisition of four more CNG powered vehicles in 2019. 

The Schuylkill County Transportation Authority is excited to join other State transit agencies by implementing these CNG buses to serve the residents of Schuylkill County and its visitors.  Along with the advantages of CNG discussed above, these new vehicles are also equipped with many safety, reliability, comfort and IT advancements that will make them great assets for both our riders and STS staff.   

Dave Bekisz, Executive Director would like to take a moment to thank the many people and agencies that were essential for making this a reality.  Thanks to the FTA, our partners at PennDot, local government, our Board of Directors and of course all the employees at STS.

Schuylkill Transportation System surveyed the riders of their fixed route bus service over the period July 5, 2017 to July 11, 2017. The survey was based on a standard survey developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and consists of 15 questions which address customer satisfaction, rider characteristics and patterns in service usage.