The Beginning of OATS
1970 - A group of Missouri Volunteers attended a White House conference on aging in Washington, D.C.
1971 - Cooperative Transportation Service was formed. The first three buses rolled out on November 1st, 1971.
1973 - The company became a non-profit and changed its name to Older Adults Transportation Service (OATS).
OATS Continues to Grow
1980 - With the help of federal funds, service expanded to include the rural general public. Our name was shortened to OATS, Inc.
1981 - OATS, Inc. quickly grew to 231 employees with 134 buses, 1,012 volunteers, and 20,000 members.
1999 - Several years later, OATS, Inc. began its first city service in Sedalia, MO, followed by 20 more cities.
The Expansion of OATS
2003 - When a St. Louis transportation provider suddenly closed, OATS, Inc. quickly stepped in to begin its first urban service.
2004 - A new headquarters was constructed in Columbia, MO, where the home office and Mid-MO operations now reside.
OATS, Inc. Becomes OATS Transit
2011 - A regional office was built in St. Joseph, MO, followed by one in Bridgeton in 2012, Macon in 2013, and Springfield in 2014.
2018 - OATS, Inc. updated its logo with a pop of blue as well as adding a new tagline - Operating Above the Standard. The company is now known as OATS Transit.
50 Years of OATS Transit
2021 - As of 2021, OATS Transit has officially been in business for 50 years! In 2020, we provided one million trips with more than 600 buses. We traveled over 10 million miles.
Thank you to our drivers, office staff, riders, and supporters. We couldn't have done this without you.
This Wednesday, October 27th, we are having a virtual party to celebrate OATS Transit's 50th anniversary. We will be posting on social media throughout the day. To follow along, make sure to like our Facebook page. We can't wait to celebrate with you!
"Enhancing quality of life by providing safe, caring, and reliable transportation services."