WESTOVER, W.Va. – The Mountain Line Transit Authority Board of Directors has named Maria Smith as the new general manager. Smith has served as the interim general manager since the retirement of Dave Bruffy in July, after 25 years.
“I really appreciate the staff we have here; they have been a huge help getting us through this period of time, and I thank the board members for helping to guide us along this process as well as the community for all their support,” Smith said.
Renovations to the customer service area of their headquarters in Westover are expected to be completed in November. The improvements include a larger, more connected space with more information available for riders.
“It doubles the amount of waiting space our riders have inside, and it has better facilities for them,” Smith said. “It has a working table that has plug-ins so people can actually get work done on laptops or devices.”
Later this year, a program partnership with Operation Welcome Home will be announced, and Smith plans to engage the community with a survey to find ways to improve services.
“We’ll hear from the riders and non-riders in the community about their experience with Mountain Line, and we expect that to come out soon,” Smith said. “I think that will give us the footing we need to face the biggest challenges our riders and community have regarding transportation here.”
Beginning in 2024, Mountain Line will begin testing three liquid propane-powered buses. Cost, terrain, and conditions have discouraged the use of electric buses.
“At the end of this year, we have a couple propane vehicles coming, so we’re excited to enter that realm,” Smith said.
Smith joined the Mountain Line Transit Authority in 2007 as a marketing officer and most recently served as assistant manager of administration and marketing before accepting the offer to serve as general manager at an annual base salary of $126,006.10.
Smith becomes the third general manager in the 28-year history of the organization.