“The wheels on the bus go round and round” is now more than a catchy little preschool-appropriate ditty for staff at the Warren County Public Library.

The library, in partnership with the American Red Cross Community Adaptation Program, has begun providing public transportation through a 15-passenger van it’s calling the Little Free Shuttle.

The 2023 Ford Transit van, purchased with Red Cross CAP funds and decorated in a vibrant green wrap, is operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

It will weave through such low-income neighborhoods as Bryant Way Apartments, Phenix Place Apartments and Moss Apartments, providing free transportation to the Lisa Rice Library, Community Farmers Market, SOKY Marketplace, and Capitol Arts Center.

“We’re all about equitable access, and this provides that,” said Emily Witthuhn, the library’s community outreach manager. “We have taken our services out into the community. Now we’ll be providing access to our facilities by bringing people to them.”

Witthuhn explained that the shuttle grew out of the fact that the library and the International Center of Kentucky are “resilience hubs” in partnership with Red Cross CAP.

The Little Free Shuttle is one of the library’s projects being funded through Red Cross CAP, and Witthuhn says it will do more than run the three weekly routes.

When the next disruptive weather event occurs in Warren County, she said, the shuttle will be used to help get residents to warming centers or temporary shelters.

Red Cross CAP, Witthuhn said, “helps strengthen communities like ours to be better prepared and more resilient when disasters strike.”

This new Red Cross program was created to help communities with a high disaster risk that have populations between 50,000 and 500,000.

Areas selected for CAP are also considered to have high social vulnerability, considering factors such as socio-economic status, language fluency, housing and transportation.

The December 2021 tornadoes that struck the Bowling Green area led Red Cross to establish one of its initial eight CAPs in Warren County and brought Red Cross Community Disaster Risk Reduction Manager Joshua Riddle to the area to begin making connections with local nonprofits like the library.

Riddle is now one of a team of three people coordinating the local CAP efforts. He says the library’s new shuttle is an important part of the local Red Cross initiative.

“Our purpose is to increase the capabilities of nonprofits to address housing, health and hunger,” Riddle said. “If there’s another disaster, I hope the van can be mobilized to connect people to housing, health and hunger resources.

“I’m hoping that, outside of its day-to-day use, the van can be used for that.”

That day-to-day use, though, has many benefits, according to Witthuhn.

“The Little Free Shuttle is for everyone,” she said in an email. “It’s completely free to ride the shuttle, and no library card is required.

“Our hope is that this service makes it easier for folks in our community to get around town and access the great stuff we have going on in Warren County.”

More information about the Little Free Shuttle, including routes and schedules, can be found at this website: warrenpl.org/shuttle.