History… How It All Began
The seeds for OATS were first sown in 1970 when a group of Missourians returned from a White House Conference on Aging in which transportation was cited as a barrier for many seniors – especially in rural areas.
Thanks to a grant from Missouri’s Office on Aging, coupled with technical assistant from the University of Missouri’s Extension Division, this group of volunteers was able to form the Cooperative Transportation Service (CTS). They purchased 3 buses and hired 4 employees.
CTS, fostered by the extensive need for transportation, grew exponentially and by 1973 was located in over 80 Missouri counties. That same year, Cooperative Transportation Service became a non profit and changed its name to Older Adults Transportation Service, or OATS.
Today, OATS serves nearly 30,000 people in Missouri. OATS is no longer referred to as “Older Adults Transportation Service”, as it now serves a wide variety of clientele including those with disabilities or financial struggles who are in need of the services OATS provides. Just last year, OATS provided 1,523,257 one-way trips with a fleet of over 650 vehicles and a staff of 700.
For more information about the service OATS provides, read our Fiscal Year 2008 Annual Report.