NILES Busing services slated to get started Monday

Community Busing Services will operate the fledgling service seven days a week.
NILES -- Legal battles, rulings from the Federal Transit Authority and a drawn-out bidding process have all come to an end.
The Niles-Trumbull Transit System will begin operations Monday, kicking off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. at the SCOPE Senior Citizens Center, 14 E. State St.
Mayor Ralph A. Infante will host the event, along with Trumbull County commissioners and representatives from Howland, Liberty, Vienna, Weathersfield, Cortland and McDonald, the communities participating in the transportation program with Niles.
Community Busing Services will operate the demand-response service throughout the county.
Plans are to begin operations in the participating communities, then expand to cover all areas of the county within 30 days.
The one-year pilot program was the subject of heated controversy for months, as officials from the Western Reserve Transit Authority -- which operates a fixed-route bus system in Mahoning and portions of Trumbull counties -- protested the bidding process, arguing Niles had a conflict of interest with CBS.
The fight made its way to the FTA in Chicago, where a July ruling said the program could proceed with no more protests.
To get a ride
NTTS will allow county residents to call and arrange for a ride, scheduling a specific pickup and drop-off area, as opposed to waiting at a designated stop.
The costs for trips will vary, depending on whether callers live in a participating community or not, but NTTS coordinators contend it will be cheaper than other forms of transportation currently available.
Those interested in the service, which will initially operate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 7 to 4 Saturdays and Sundays, can call (330) 369-2600.