Mountain Line Transit sees insurance costs skyrocket more than 200%

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia's state insurance board has dropped the Mountain Line Transit Authority from its coverage, a move that has resulted in a more than 200 percent price increase to its insurance costs.

The West Virginia Board of Risk and Insurance Management (BRIM) , which insures the property and liability of government entities in West Virginia, recently informed Monongalia County's Mountain Line Transit Authority that it is discontinuing the policy that the service uses.

Officials hoped that insurance costs would remain low, allowing the government to concentrate on providing services that are needed. However, based on the policies that Mountain Line Transit uses, it was forced to switch insurance providers jumping from $113,827 to $375,510 in costs—a nearly 260 percent increase.

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"It's very difficult for a transit system, a lot of other agencies in our state have also been looking so that helped. But we did find WVcorp who provided us with an estimate. The best that we could get, they were partial. So, this includes both of our liability our auto and property," CEO of Mountain Line Transit Maria Smith said.

Smith told 12 News that while Mountain Line has maintained its standard fare of $0.75 since opening in 1996, it is possible that this new policy could result in a fare increase. However, she described fare increases and a reduction of bus service hours as a "worst-case scenario."