Mountain Line is showing its customers some love and it chose Valentine’s Day to let the world know about it.
Cookies and hot chocolate were on offer Wednesday as the transit authority threw open its doors to show off some $400,000 in improvements to its Pifer Terminal and central office, located at 420 DuPont Road, in Westover.
The work transformed existing storage space in the building’s upstairs into a new office area and conference room.
The centerpiece of the project, however, is the lower-level terminal which was reimagined with customer comfort in mind.
General Manager Maria Smith explained the space had existed pretty much unchanged since it was designed for use by Greyhound in 2005 — the same year the company stopped providing service in West Virginia.
In 2018, when Mountain Line was forced out of the Garrett Street depot downtown due to the city’s riverfront plans, all Mountain Line’s routes began running through Westover and the already outdated space was forced into service.
The new customer service area features a variety of seating options with power outlets, a kids’ area, improved restrooms and, coming soon, a variety of vending options.
The space provides better visibility into the loading area and includes monitors providing live tracking of Mountain Line vehicles.
“I just think it’s absolutely fabulous. It was so badly needed,” Mountain Line Transit Authority President Jenny Dinsmore said. “This is just amazing. I think it’s going to work extremely well. It’s just pleasant now. It’s so much nicer than what we had for our customers.”
The indoor upgrades come on the heels of a $1.2 million project in 2022 that replaced all the asphalt in the bus travel and fueling areas at the Westover hub with a new concrete surface and constructed a new 20-space parking area adjacent to the administrative lot.
Prior to Wednesday’s tour, Smith held a moment of silence for Mountain Line Transit Authority Board Member Wes Nugent who remains hospitalized in critical condition following a Feb. 9 bicycling accident.
