Donald Sunkin of Greenville uses the STAR van service from UPMC Horizon to Pittsburgh several times a week to get treated for a heart condition.

"I cannot drive because of all the medications I'm taking ... this was the only way I had to get (to Pittsburgh)," he said. He also has a condition that causes the tendons in his feet to separate, making it difficult for him to get around.

But as of Friday, the van service will no longer be available.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Sunkin said. He said he's thinking about putting an advertisement in the newspaper for a shared ride or looking for other public transportation.

"There is a bus from Grove City to Pittsburgh, but, my goodness, that in itself is a good drive," he said. "If that's my only option ... unless I can find some kind of other medical care locally ..."

Since January 2001, UPMC Horizon has provided free transportation for patients and visitors to UPMC hospitals and services in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. The van transports patients and family members from both the Greenville and Farrell hospitals daily.

Although feedback from the van service has been positive, its use has remained stagnant for 18 months. On average, the van transports fewer than six people a day, and only about half are patients, according to a news release from the hospital.

After determining the cost per passenger and the cost per patient, the hospital determined it was not feasible to continue the service. Other alternatives -- such as increasing its use and restructuring fees with contractor Anderson Coach and Travel of Sugar Grove Township -- were explored before the decision was made, but neither solutions was possible, the release said.

Even though the van service won't be available after Friday, patients can look into other options. Anderson can provide alternate transportation for a fee.

There is also the chance the service could return.

"Although we have discontinued the van service for now, we are continuing to look for ways to partner with other organizations in the hope of reinstating this service at a later date," Connie Mayle, vice president of administrative services at UPMC Horizon, said in the news release.