Last week, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), announced nearly $105 million in grants for public transit, with funding going to dozens of urban and rural transit systems across the state. Most of the funding ($70 million) is the result of the increase in transit support approved by Ohio Lawmakers last April as part of the state transportation budget. The remaining $35 million in funding awards announced last week is Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding awarded to support the operation of Ohio’s 38 rural transit systems.
As avid readers will recall, Greater Ohio was among the leading advocates for renewed investment on the part of the State of Ohio into public transit, following nearly two decades of constant reductions in funding. Now that the funding is being allocated, GOPC will be providing updates on how this important funding is being invested to improve public transportation and innovate service delivery for the thousands of Ohioans who rely on public transportation as a means of access work, education, healthcare and basic needs.
Over the coming weeks, GOPC will be highlighting some of the new and exciting investments that are being made across Ohio to innovate public transit with a forward-looking vision.
Employers across Ohio often report that one the biggest hurdles that they have to overcome in filling job vacancies is finding employees who have reliable transportation to and from work. More often then not, many workers are forced to turn down jobs or quit soon after starting a job because of the lack of reliable transportation or transportation alternatives.
Akron’s METRO RTA has identified this as a major problem in northern Summit County as part of a recent evaluation of current transit services. With the goal of improving efficiency, METRO RTA has been reviewing service routes and conducting meeting with employers and the community at large.
METRO RTA received $100,000 in funding from ODOT to support the implementation of a pilot program called FlexRide to assist in workforce transportation throughout the region. The FlexRide program will bridge the gap between people who want to work and the thousands of unfilled jobs in Summit County. FlexRide will be an on-demand transportation service using a new web application, that provides a direct trip for workers to get to participating employers. METRO will be using improved scheduling and fare payment technology to provide a streamlined trip to reduce the barrier of lengthy, inefficient transit service to job hubs in northern Summit County. The goal is to provide easier trips for residents with limited transportation options and attempt to solve the geographic paradox between people and jobs.
The ODOT Transit funding support will be paired with funding that METRO is also receiving from ConxusNEO, local governments, and participating businesses in the pilot area. The pilot project is expected to run for 24 months and provide information about possible expansion of the pilot to others areas of the region in the future.
(Photo courtesy of Akron Metro Regional Transit Authority)