Since August 2018,  Fort Scottians can take a bus to Wichita and Joplin and points in between on Beeline Express, seven days a week.

“This is a community service for rural Kansans,” said Jim Lynch, the manager of Beeline Express. “It’s subsidized by the Kansas Department of Transportation.”

The pickup point is Pump N Pete’s, 1920 S. Main on 69 Hwy.

Riders can purchase a one-way ticket for $40 for the destination of Wichita, with stops at Iola, Eureka, and El Dorado, Lynch said.

The 48 passenger bus has a restroom and electric chargers for phones, Lynch said.

“You can put the seats back and take a nap,” he said. “We do have wheelchair accessibility.”

“A lot of people use it for Fort Scott to Joplin,” Lynch said. The cost of a ticket from Fort Scott to Joplin is $19, with a stop in Pittsburg.

The bus arrives at 8:55 a.m. at Pump N Petes on 69 Hwy. and arrives at noon in Wichita. It leaves Wichita at 2:45 p.m. on its way back to Joplin.

It arrives at 5:55 p.m. in Fort Scott to pick up riders and arrives in Joplin at 7:15 p.m.

“A person can just show up, pay $40 and get on the bus to Wichita,” Lynch said. To pre-arrange phone 1-855-201-6700. The Beeline office number is 316-249-6774 with office hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“You can look up the schedule online,” Lynch said. http://www.Beeline-Express.com

For more destinations past both Wichita and Joplin, go to  http://www.greyhound.com to secure a ticket to all points in the U.S., he said.

Tickets are non-refundable but may be transferable at the discretion of the ticket agent, according to information provided.