LYONS, Kan. (June 30, 2026) — Rice County Council on Aging, Inc., held a ribbon cutting ceremony this afternoon for its new bus barn, located at 213 E. 4th in Lyons. The building, a nearly 6-year project, was completed in May 2026. The Bus Barn will house the five daily drivers/vans, while one van will be kept as a backup at the old facility.
Alice Prester, executive director of Rice County Council on Aging recently spoke with Ad Astra Radio’s Kristi Showalter about the project on Rice County Corner.
According to Prester, RCCA applied for an Access, Innovation, and Collaboration Grant back in 2019, which the organization later received in February of 2020.
Included in the Bus Barn is a wash bay so drivers can wash the vans in the facility rather than having to take them to a car wash. Since they travel within a 100-mile radius of Lyons every day, including Medicaid rides which can be as far as Kansas City, there is a need to have access to a car wash regularly.
The FDA and KDOT funded 90 percent of the grant and RCCA had to come up with 10 percent, which was a little over $100,000.
“We do a lot of in-county transportation, which I think most people don’t realize,” Prester said. “We are here for the general public and anybody that’s handicapped.”
Prester explained that as long as the people needing transportation are local, within a 50 or 60 mile radius, RCCA can take them wherever they need to go.
The new building will not only just be a place for buses to park, but the board meetings will also be held there and there is also a break room for the drivers.
More photos of the Ribbon Cutting are available on the Hutch Facebook page.
To schedule a ride or find out more information, call Quivira Transit at 620-257-5153. Open Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Rice County Council on Aging is a non-profit organization that advocates for, serves, and empowers the aging citizens of Rice County, Kansas, providing them with the resources needed to continue living an active, healthy, and independent lifestyle. Learn more at: https://www.ricecountycouncilonaging.com/
