Hartley set to retire as boss of KRT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Doug Hartley, Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority (KRT) Executive Director is retiring later this year after nearly four decades in public transportation.

He told MetroNews that a committee has been formed for the next several months to find his replacement. He plans to retire between July and October, after his 34th anniversary with the KRT.

“I’ve spent 33 years at KRT, 34 this summer. My wife and I want to retire and do traveling. We are looking forward to that,” Hartley told 580-WCHS.

Hartley was named the director in September 2018.

He remembered being hired 33 years ago.

“To do develop our ADA paratransit program, do marketing, planning and grant writing. So I’ve worked through our whole administrative side. And I’ve done everything except driving a bus or fixing a bus. They won’t let me do that because they know it would be a bad idea,” he said jokingly.

Hartley said he will work with the new manager for around one month before leaving, to smooth out the transition. He’s been in public transit for 38 years total and said he will miss it.

“It’s an interesting job. It’s been fun. Before I came here I was an assistant in Huntington. Before that I wrote grants for public transit for the state of West Virginia,” Hartley said.