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Programs

Buncombe County offers various programs through Mountain Mobility and additional programs that provide other transportation opportunities to the residents of Buncombe County.

Modes of Service

Transportation modes include demand-response service, subscription service, and deviated fixed-route service. Demand response and subscription services are shared rides, so a customer may travel with other customers and may not go directly from origin to destination. Coordinating trips allows the system to operate efficiently and provide more transportation service at lower cost.

Demand Response Service

Demand response service describes trips scheduled on an as-needed basis. Mountain Mobility is best able to accommodate trips scheduled during the off-peak hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Grocery, other shopping, and multipurpose trips (banking, personal business, etc.), must be scheduled according to days, times and stores on our existing routes within the customer’s community. Mountain Mobility does not provide same-day transportation. If you need emergency services, please call 9-1-1.

Subscription Service

Subscription service describes trips scheduled to the same destination at the same time, two (2) or more times within the same week. Customers requesting subscription service may be placed on a waiting list if capacity on an existing route is full, if a route is not available in the area, and/or if a route is not available at the times service is requested. City of Asheville Complementary Paratransit Service customers should consult the City of Asheville’s Paratransit Rider’s Guide regarding subscription service policies.

Community Transportation Service

Public transportation services are provided by demand response and subscription modes to residents outside the City of Asheville. Mountain Mobility also provides deviated fixed-route public transit service with Trailblazer Routes.

Community Service Routes

Grocery, Retail, and Multipurpose Trips in your community

Mountain Mobility has divided our service area into Community Service Routes so our customers know what days we will be taking them to grocery shopping, retail shopping, and for multipurpose trips, which refer to personal business and other trips that are non-medical in nature such as hair appointments, banking, etc.

Grocery trips are provided to the grocery store(s) listed in each community.

Shopping/Retail trips are provided to the closest major store(s) in or near the customer’s community (Walmart, Kmart, shopping centers, etc.).

Multipurpose trips are provided to the location nearest your residence (for example, if you need to go to the bank, we will take you to the branch closest to where you live).

Senior Programs

Working with the Council on Aging and the city of Asheville to provide activities and easy transportation for those 60+

Senior Dining Program Transportation

Mountain Mobility transports seniors to identified dining sites in cooperation with the Council on Aging and Asheville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Department. The Senior Dining Program promotes independence of people 60 and older by providing a safe, friendly environment where seniors may enjoy crafts, games, exercise, and learn information about local happenings and services. In addition, participants in the Senior Dining Program are transported to a nearby grocery store for shopping each week.

To sign up for a Senior Dining Program, please contact the Council on Aging at (828) 277-8288.

Senior Bus Pass

Mountain Mobility offers seniors at least 65 or older a free monthly bus pass that can be used throughout the City of Asheville’s ART bus system. Because advance reservations are not required, ART bus services allow more flexible travel.

For more eligibility information call (828) 250-6750, Option 5, or TDD/TTY Relay 7-1-1 or Toll free 1-800-735-2962.

RIDE Program

Ridership Independence for the Disabled and Elderly

RIDE is a voucher program that allows disabled and elderly residents to purchase transportation services at a significant discount. Once enrolled as a RIDE participant, you are eligible to purchase vouchers that can be used with local providers at 25% of the regular rate.

To qualify for the RIDE program, individuals must live in Buncombe County and be elderly or disabled.

How the RIDE Program works:

  • Customers purchase vouchers for providers. Vouchers are $2.50 each and are sold in books of 10 ($25).
  • When transportation is needed, the customer contacts one of the RIDE providers for service.
  • Each voucher is good for $10 off the cost of a one-way trip provided by the service.
  • A maximum of three (3) vouchers can be used for a one-way trip.
  • If the cost of the trip is more than $30, the customer must pay the difference at the time the service is provided.

 

Once enrolled in the RIDE Program, customers are sent a list of providers who accept program vouchers and the program guidelines. For more information, please contact the RIDE Program Coordinator with Mountain Mobility at (828) 250-6750, Option 5, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

ADA / Medicaid

ADA Paratransit and Medicaid Transportation Services

ADA Paratransit Service

Mountain Mobility partners with the City of Asheville’s Complementary Paratransit Services program to provide transportation services to those customers qualifying under the Americans with Disabilities Act. To sign up for those services, customers may phone during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday) and speak with an Eligibility Specialist (828) 250-6750, Option 5 or TDD/TTY Relay 7-1-1 or 1-800-735-2962. Voicemail is available outside of regular office hours.

Customers must complete the City of Asheville’s ART bus system’s required application and provide supporting documentation. If eligible, customers will also be provided the City of Asheville’s Paratransit Rider’s Guide containing additional information.

Medicaid Transportation Service

Mountain Mobility is one of many transportation services that provide non-emergency medical trips to Medicaid recipients. All trips must be scheduled through Buncombe County’s Non-Emergency Medicaid Transportation Services. If you have Medicaid, please call (828) 552-5486 to determine eligibility and schedule your medical trips.

Contact

Mountain Mobility phone numbers, Hours of Operation, and Holiday Closings

Who do I call?

Please call our main number: (828) 250-6750

Choose from the menu options depending on what you need:

Information and Eligibility
Dial Option 5

TTY/Text to Voice Communications

National Relay 7-1-1 Services
Dial 7-1-1

Relay North Carolina
1-800-735-2962

NC 2-1-1 Referral Services
Dial 2-1-1
1-866-401-6342
www.nc211.org

Service & Office Hours

Service hours differ for the City of Asheville Complementary Paratransit Service as detailed in the City of Asheville's Paratransit Rider’s Guide.

Administrative Office Hours

  • Monday through Friday
    8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Reservations/Scheduling

  • Monday through Friday
    8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Transportation Services

  • Monday through Saturday
    5:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.

General Transit Feed Specification

Holiday Closings

Mountain Mobility is closed on the following holidays:

  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Christmas

Mountain Mobility only offers City of Asheville Complementary Paratransit Services on the following holidays:

  • New Year's Day
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • Good Friday
  • Memorial Day
  • Juneteenth
  • Independence Day
  • Labor Day

Mountain Mobility is administered through a contract with Land-of-Sky Regional Council and operated through a contract with McDonald Transit Associates, Inc.