BAT Bulletin

Benton County is pleased to introduce Maya O'Neal, who joined us on April 1 as the County's first in-house coordinator for Benton Area Transit. Her job is overseeing all aspects of the program and contract.

Maya brings extensive knowledge and skills in transportation at the local government level. Most recently, she served as the public parking coordinator for the City of Corvallis. Previously, she worked in the Transportation Department of the City of Fresno, California, which has a population of over 540,000 and covers over 110,000 square miles. Her primary duties included logistics, scheduling and routing.

Maya also has experience reviewing and applying federal statutes, legal regulations and compliance guidelines — essential skills for the Benton Area Transit coordinator role.

Welcome, Maya!

BAT service delivery project timeline

We've noticed there's some confusion out there about the timeline for considering a self-performance model for BAT.

Most importantly, no decision has been made on this topic by the Board of Commissioners, beyond allowing the exploration of how a self-serve model would work.

Here are the highlights of the tentative schedule for the next two years:

Summer/fall 2026: Public listening sessions to gather input from BAT riders and community members

Late 2026/early 2027: Board of Commissioners to consider and vote on draft implementation plan for self-performance

Spring 2027: IF Board of Commissioners approves draft implementation plan, build BAT operations into 2027-29 Proposed Budget

May 2027: 2027-29 Budget to be finalized, determining how BAT services are to be delivered in the future

2028: County would begin delivering BAT services IF Budget Committee and Board of Commissioners approve funding for BAT self-performance in May 2027

Check out our new wheels!

Benton Area Transit doesn't just have new faces — we're also welcoming new vehicles. This bus arrived last week to replace one that lived a good life, but is ready to be retired. The new vehicle was selected with safety, comfort and convenience in mind, providing a better experience for both riders and drivers.

With grant funding support, the County is also in the process of adding several electric vehicles to our fleet. Thanks to Jason Tighe and others from Dial-A-Bus for helping us spec the new vehicles. We can't wait for the future unveiling!

Spread the word

If you received this email directly from Benton County, you're already on the BAT Bulletins mailing list. Please spread the word to others who might like to receive updates about Benton Area Transit. Share this link to sign up for:

• Periodic project updates sent through email.
• Invitations to public listening sessions (summer/fall 2026) where we'll collect public input.