Summit County Metro RTA shifting to network aimed at more frequent service for most riders

When it comes to getting around on Metro RTA, riders say the service is fine, Metro CEO Dawn Distler recently told Akron City Council. She said things are going to get even better starting June 4, when the agency plans to make major changes that will improve service for most riders.

If anyone does have complaints about the plan, the agency is still taking suggestions.

The new Reimagined Network, as Metro RTA calls the plan, will bring more frequent service that places 97% of riders within a quarter-mile of a bus stop, and 63% of riders close to lines with more frequent stops, according to an analysis by Metro. That 63% includes 77% of low-income riders and 79% of people of color who use the system.

Currently, only 36% of riders have access to a bus that comes every 30 minutes or less.

There will be five routes where buses will make rounds every 15 minutes, where the average wait time at a bus stop will be 7½ minutes. Other routes will also increase in frequency, from 45 to 30 minutes and from as long as 90 minutes to 60 minutes.

More:Metro RTA seeks input on ‘Reimagined Network’ of future routes

Currently, the only frequent service line is the DASH, Akron's free weekday shuttle service, which runs every 10 to 15 minutes from the downtown terminal to the University of Akron. It will be discontinued.

The five high-frequency corridors will serve West Market Street (Route 1), South Arlington Street (Route 2), East Exchange Street (Routes 6/19), Grant and Brown streets (Route 13), and Euclid Avenue, Diagonal Road and Vernon Odom Boulevard (Route 16).

Regular bus routes to Springfield Township and Green (Route 110), Portage Lakes (Route 11), Richfield (Route 101) and Northfield Village (Route 102) will be cut. And a new Route 32 will serve some areas of Hudson, Twinsburg, Macedonia and other locations that had been served by Routes 102, 103, and 104. Routes 103 and 104 are also being cut.

Routes 31 and 32 will serve the Aurora Road/Northfield Road areas every 30 minutes.

Distler said the agency is working on ways to provide service to the limited number of passengers in areas where regular service will be suspended.

"As we were reallocating, there were certainly areas that we had to pull back from a little bit in terms of serving with our traditional fixed buses, the big 40-foot buses," said Distler. "We recognize where those gaps are, and we're actively working on what we call new mobility options ... thinking about how we can serve those areas in maybe a new, non-traditional way to make sure we can still make those connections, get people to work that work in those areas in the most cost-effective way."

She said demand response services — like SCAT shared ride service, Americans with Disabilities Act services, Call-A-Bus and Metro Connect call-ahead service  — will complement the Reimagined Network, but final plans have not been set.

"We're looking at van pools, we're looking at shuttles ... just kind of expanding Reimagining."

The Metro board of directors is scheduled to approve the overall plan March 28 and continue with outreach regarding the change through April and May. Comments on the plan can be made at www.reimagine-metro.com/

Some riders say they're satisfied with current Metro service

Riders at the Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center on Broadway in downtown Akron said last week they had not heard of the upcoming changes and were pleased with service as it is.

"I ain't got no complaints," said Greg Oliver, who regularly rides Routes 3 and 8 serving areas including West Akron, Sherbondy Hill and Kenmore. "I think it's good like it is, but I'm just one person. I might not have a complaint, but somebody else might."

Kendrick Woods, who regularly rides on numerous routes throughout town to get to the store, pick up medicine and see people, also said he is satisfied.

"Everything works out fine," he said, adding that more frequent service would be a good change. However, he did say Route 3 down Copley Road in West Akron is very busy in the afternoons after school gets out.

"That bus be crowd-ed, and when I say crowded, I mean that bus be crowded. You've got people coming from work, you've got people going to work because it's second shift, so it's crowded."

Tom Haag says he's pleased to hear about the upcoming change on Route 33, which he takes just about every day from downtown to Cuyahoga Falls. The change will have that route go from buses leaving every 90-plus minutes to once per hour.

Armani Rainbolt, who usually takes Route 2 down Arlington Street, said things in general seem to be getting better.

"Everything is OK. The bus has gotten better now, but so has the entire city," he said.

Firestone Park resident Mishelle Johnson called herself "a very proud bus rider" and was the only one interviewed who had heard about the upcoming change.

Johnson said she takes the bus to get to food pantries around town, and was ready with a wire cart and reusable plastic grocery bags. She said the weather is the hardest part of getting around in the winter.

Metro changes to benefit lower-income, people of color in Akron

Distler told Akron City Council the COVID-19 pandemic made the agency reevaluate its operations, after avoiding layoffs and the reduced traffic following lockdowns.

"We have to make a system that really works for the people who need us to get where they're going. And you know one of the the best things that you can do and have for a vibrant and successful city is a vibrant transportation system," she said. "We're doing this all with our current budget, so this is all being done within our current budget."

She said the new system was specifically designed to benefit lower-income residents. In the new system, median-income residents of Summit County within a quarter-mile of transit would be able to reach about 53% more jobs in 45 minutes and lower-income resident living near transit would be able to use transit to reach about 104% more jobs in 45 minutes.

The median person of color living near transit would be able to reach about 89% more jobs in the same amount of time.

Reimagined Metro would offer cross-county connections

The new plan also includes improved out-of-county connections, including an hourly express from downtown Akron to Portage Area Regional Transit Authority's main terminal in Kent, Distler said.

"We're also going to just jump that 1 mile or so over the county line, from Tallmadge into Brimfield, to connect to the new retail there, as well as providing a pretty exciting new connection on the east side of Cuyahoga County, where we will be connecting to the Southgate Transit Center, which is in Maple Heights."

Service will continue to be provided to Stark County on Route 81, via the Akron-Canton Airport.

Eric Marotta can be reached at emarotta@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarottaEric.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Summit County Metro RTA aims for more frequent service for Akron riders