Sen. Sherrod Brown tours TARTA facility

Nov. 23—With more than $50 million coming to Toledo-area transit from the federal infrastructure deal, Sen. Sherrod Brown emphasized the importance of public transit, not just to the community but to the industry's workers.

"For years, we've had politicians, we've had presidents, promise infrastructure," he said during a news conference Tuesday at the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority's Central Avenue facility. "It took a new president and a new United States Senate."

Mr. Brown met with TARTA leadership and staff and toured the facility. Part of the discussions focused on the organization's aging fleet of vehicles as well as on the sales tax levy recently approved by Lucas County voters.

The tax is estimated to generate an additional $20 million per year for TARTA. Putting those levy funds together with the federal infrastructure funding, Mr. Brown said, will make a big difference.

From the infrastructure deal, about $51 million in federal funding will be distributed locally in the next five years. Mr. Brown highlighted certain provisions in the federal deal, including a domestic preference for local projects.

"It means buses that are made with American steel, by American workers," he said.

Laura Koprowski, CEO of TARTA, said it was an honor to host the senator and that she hopes that more good times than hard times lie in the agency's future.

Ms. Koprowski said the organization badly needs to modernize its fleet as well as its facility. The bus garage roof is more than 40 years old, she said, the lighting hasn't been updated, and many vehicles are years old.

"Most of our fleet is way past its useful life," she said.

Ms. Koprowski also said the organization not only needs to focus on service to customers but to its own employees as well. Safety needs to be a priority, not just in the vehicles but also in the facility.

She also said the organization is continuing to apply for grants, and with the funding coming in from the tax levy, TARTA will have the matching funds it needs to qualify for those grants.

TARTA leadership recently submitted three grant applications for funding to replace the roof and add paratransit vehicles, funding for planning, and pandemic relief funds.

The agency extended its free ride service through the end of the year, because many customers are still grappling financially from the effects of the pandemic, Ms. Koprowski said, so supplemental funding for the agency is essential.

Additionally, Ms. Koprowski said the agency is looking at more cross-town routes in suburban areas. Upgrading technology services, such as in dispatch and the agency's Call-A-Ride, is also a must.

Not everyone has a home with a two-car garage, she said, and she noted that more than 60 percent of TARTA's customers make $25,000 or less.

"They deserve transit connections," she said.

First Published November 23, 2021, 1:50pm