Transit Authority of Warren County, Pennsylvania: An Overview

The public transportation service of Warren County, PA is TAWC (Transit Authority of Warren County). When I first moved here I was ecstatic about the TAWC bus. It only costs .75 cents to ride one way and transfers are free. It's cheaper than buying gas and the drivers are a hoot! Then I started working in the area and that is when I learned just how reliable the TAWC bus really is.

The Routes

TAWC's routes are broken up into three distinct schedules that correspond to the three main areas of Warren County; the East/West route, the North/South route and the Youngsville/Sheffield routes.

The East/West route covers the areas between Hemlock Road on Pennsylvania Avenue and Yankee Bush Road in Starbrick. The North/South route covers the North end of town including Warren Commons (Wal-Mart, Lowes, etc.) and Warren Mall. The Youngsville/Sheffield routes will take you West to Youngsville (taking the same route as the East/West bus) and then East to Sheffield. Confused yet? Well you're not the only one. I have been using this system for three months now and I still have a hard time following it.

Here's the Kicker:

The East/West route takes a half hour break from 9:56 am to 10:34 am and from 2:36 pm to 3:14 pm and the North/South route breaks from 9:26 am to 9:54 am and from 4:26 pm to 4:54 pm, during which time the buses for these routes stop running. Let me just stop here and point out the fact that these are some of the busiest times of the day. You know, when people are going to work and getting out of work and planning to be places for appointments and stuff? Who in their right minds would stop the buses at the times when they are needed the most? I mean, who is making out these schedules anyway, Burt and Ernie? To make matters worse the Youngsville/Sheffield bus breaks whenever they feel like it. Their breaks are so sporadic they're not even marked on the schedule.

The East/West bus is pretty dependable after the break. They travel east from the Transit Center toward Hemlock Road then circle back to the Transit Center and head west toward Yankee Bush Road. The Youngsville/Sheffield route is pretty dependable as well, as long as the driver ever shows up on time. However, the North/South route is so shifted around that it can sometimes feel like you're trying to solve a mystery just to get where you need to go.

TAWC Woes

I stayed with a friend in Sheffield for sometime before moving into Warren. We both worked in Warren at the time so I never had a problem getting to work on time, except for one particular occasion when I had to rely on the TAWC bus to get me there instead. When I went to catch the bus that morning I was left behind. I was standing at the bus stop, dressed in my work clothes, staring the bus driver dead in her beady little eyes as she drove right past me.

On another occasion, I rode the Youngsville/Sheffield bus to Sheffield to pick up my paycheck. When the driver dropped me off I asked him where he wanted me to be standing when he circled back around. He pointed to a gas station a short distance from us and that is where I waited for him to pick me up. Do you think he remembered me when he came back around? No. In fact, he was so busy talking to the other people on the bus that he didn't even notice me standing there on the sidewalk right where he told me to stand and wait for him, in plain view, waving my arms and screaming like a wild banshee. I ended up walking half way out of Sheffield, about a two hour walk from where we were staying. Thankfully my old friend from Sheffield passed by and picked me up. Otherwise I would have had to walk the rest of the way out of Sheffield.

The Youngsville/Sheffield bus passes by where I now live on the east end of Warren County. When I started working at a local distribution center in Irvine I was going to use that bus to get me there, to work, on time. So did the bus show up on time? Well actually yes, it did the first day. But the driver kept circling around to the same area over and over looking for someone to pick up. I was nearly late on my first day of work. Thankfully I got there with a few minutes to spare. On the second day however he never showed up at all. If I knew TAWC was going to be so inconsistent and unreliable I would have never taken the job in the first place, but enough talk over spilled milk.

This morning, shortly after writing this, I was nearly left again while standing at the designated bus stop in plain view in broad daylight, wearing the same hat, jacket and scarf combination that this particular driver sees me in every day of the week. He approached me at full speed and passed me while I was waving my arms and screaming like a banshee. He stopped and I made it to my destination on time, but I nearly got left behind once again.

Conclusion

If you move to Warren County, PA get a vehicle! Don't rely on the public transportation system to get you anywhere you need to be on time. Warren is a small town, but not everything is within a comfortable walking distance. If you don't have any pressing business to take care of and have all day to wait around and follow TAWC's bad schedules then you'll be good to go. But if you actually need to rely on this system, chances are that you will never see them and if you do you'll get left in the dust.