METRO Regional Transit Authority
METRO Regional Transit Authority (METRO RTA), also known as Akron Metropolitan Regional Transit Authority, is the public transit agency serving Summit County, Ohio and the city of Akron. It operates a number of local routes, and also operates two routes into downtown Cleveland.[4] Akron Metro transports passengers to/from school, work, grocery stores, malls and jobs all across Summit County. METRO RTA's fleet consists of about 200+ vehicles running on diesel, diesel-electric hybrid and as of 2022/2023, two fully electric Gillig vehicles, compressed natural gas fuels. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 3,673,700, or about 13,000 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2022.
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| Founded | 1969[1] |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 416 Kenmore Blvd. |
| Locale | Akron, Ohio |
| Service area | Summit County, Ohio |
| Service type | bus service, paratransit, express bus service |
| Daily ridership | 13,000 (weekdays, Q4 2022)[2] |
| Annual ridership | 3,673,700 (2022)[3] |
| Website | www |
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Route names
| Route Name | Terminal 1 | Terminal 2 | via | Length | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 West Market | Downtown Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center |
Fairlawn Market Square at Montrose (Rothrock Rd) |
West Market Street, Medina Road, Hollythron Drive | 12.5 miles (20.1 km) | 20 minute service. Hourly service via Hollythorn Drive. Connects with Medina County Public Transit route 18 at Rothrock Rd. Inbound trips changes to route 2 at transit center |
| 2 Arlington | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Green Interstate Parkway |
East Exchange Street, South Arlington Road | 9.1 miles (14.6 km) | Inbound trips changes to route 1 at transit center |
| 3 Copley Rd/Hawkins | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Akron Romig Road Transit Center |
Copley Road, South Hawkins Avenue | 7.0 miles (11.3 km) | |
| 4 Delia/North Hawkins | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Northwest Akron 7 Stories West Apartments |
Delia Avenue, North & South Hawkins Avenue | 8.3 miles (13.4 km)
Limited Service to Warrington Avenue | |
| 5 Joy Park/Gilchrist | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Ellet Mogadore & Canton Roads Mogadore ASW Global LLC |
Gilchrist Road, Kelly Avenue, Massillon Road, Springfield Center Road, East Archwood Avenue | 12.9 miles (20.8 km) (To ASW Global) 8.5 miles (13.7 km) (To ASW Global via I-76 & East Market Street) 10.6 miles (17.1 km) (To Mogadore & Canton Roads) |
5:30am outbound weekday trips travels to ASW Global via I-76 & East Market Street. Saturday outbound trips terminates at Mogadore & Canton Rds with inbound trips traveling south on Canton Rd to Albrecht Avenue. No Sunday service |
| 6 East Market/Lakemore | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Lakemore Tri-County Plaza |
East Market Street (OH-18), Canton Road (OH-91) | 10.5 miles (16.9 km) | |
| 7 Cuyahoga Falls Ave | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Cuyahoga Falls Studio City |
East Cuyahoga Falls Avenue, North Main Street, Bailey Road, Independence Transit Center | 9.2 miles (14.8 km) | |
| 8 Kenmore/Barberton | Norton Norton Plaza |
Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Wooster Road, Kenmore Blvd, Norton Avenue | 9.6 miles (15.4 km) | |
| 9 Vernon Odom/East | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Romig Road Transit Center |
East Avenue, Vernon Odom Blvd | 6.9 miles (11.1 km) | |
| 10 Howard/Portage Trail | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Cuyahoga Falls Independence Transit Center |
North Howard Street, Portage Trail | 10.3 miles (16.6 km) | |
| 11 South Akron | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Portage Lakes Interval Brotherhood Home |
Brown Street, East Waterloo Road, South Main Street | 6.3 miles (10.1 km) (Akron VA Clinic)
9.0 miles (14.5 km) (Interval Brotherhood Home) |
Weekdays only. Limited service to Interval Brotherhood Home |
| 12 Tallmadge Hill | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Cuyahoga Falls Independence Transit Center |
East Tallmadge Avenue | 6.2 miles (10.0 km) | Trips enter the job center on weekdays only |
| 13 Grant/Firestone Park | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Firestone Park Brown St & Giant Eagle |
Grant Street, Firestone Blvd, East Archwood Avenue | 5.7 miles (9.2 km) | |
| 14 Euclid/Barberton | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Barberton 2nd Street Northwest & West Tuscarawas Street Norton Jr Wheel Tire Shop |
Euclid Avenue, Vernon Odom Blvd, Wooster Road | 9.5 miles (15.3 km) (To Barberton) 12.9 miles (20.8 km) (To Jr Wheel) |
Limited service to Jr Wheel |
| 17 Brown/Inman | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Firestone Park Brown Street & Giant Eagle |
Brown Street, Inman Street | 7.8 miles (12.6 km) | |
| 18 Thornton/Manchester | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Portage Lakes Acme Manchester Rd |
West Thornton Street, Manchester Rd (OH-93) | 7.7 miles (12.4 km) | |
| 19 Eastland | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Cuyahoga Falls Independence Transit Center Westlake Tri-C Westshore Campus |
Eastland Avenue | 6.9 miles (11.1 km) (Eastland Ave) 7.3 miles (11.7 km) (Via Garry Avenue & Eastwood Avenue) |
Limited Service via Garry Avenue |
| 21 South Main | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Firestone Park Akron VA Clinic |
South Main Street | 3.1 miles (5.0 km) | Weekdays only. No evening service |
| 24 Lakeshore | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Summit Lake Kenmore Blvd & Lakeshore Blvd (Metro RTA Headquarters) |
Lakeshore Blvd | 2.3 miles (3.7 km)
No Sunday Service-- 8:20am-5:20pm service on Saturdays |
|
| 26 West Exchange/White Pond | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Wallhaven Summa Health White Pond Medical Center |
West Exchange Street, Frank Boulevard, White Pond Road | 7.2 miles (11.6 km) | Monday through Saturdays only. Saturday service runs from 8am to 1pm. No evening service |
| 28 Merriman Valley | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Merriman Valley Cedarwood Village Apartments |
West Market Street, Merriman Road, North Portage Path, Weathervane Lane | 7.5 miles (12.1 km) | Weekdays only |
| 30 Goodyear/Darrow | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Tallmadge Acme Fresh Market on Darrow Rd |
Darrow Rd, East Market Street, Newton Street, Goodyear Boulevard | 8.1 miles (13.0 km) | |
| 33 State Road/Wyoga Lake | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Cuyahoga Falls Falls Commerce Parkway and Wyoga Lake Rd |
State Road, Wyoga Lake Rd | 11.5 miles (18.5 km) | Monday-Saturday limited service only |
| 34 Cascade Village/Uhler | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Chapel Hill Independence Transit Center |
South Main Street, Cuyahoga Street, East Tallmadge Avenue | 8.6 miles (13.8 km) | |
| 61 Northcoast Express | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Cleveland Veterans Health Administration |
I-77, Ghent Road, Prospect Avenue, Lakeside Avenue, Euclid Avenue, East 105th Street | 44.6 miles (71.8 km) | Weekday Limited service only |
| 101 Richfield/Bath | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Brecksville Katherine Blvd Turnaround |
I-77, Cleveland-Massillon Road, Brecksville Road | 21.5 miles (34.6 km) | Limited weekday service only. No evening service |
| 102 Northfield | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Northfield MGM Northfield Park |
OH-8, Northfield Road | 26.4 miles (42.5 km) 28.1 miles (45.2 km)via Valley View Road and Migliorini Way |
Weekday limited service only with 2 outbound and 1 inbound trips via TPC Wire & Cable Corp on Valley View Avenue |
| 103 Stow/Hudson | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Boston Heights Dean Memorial Parkway and Hines Hill Road |
OH-8, Graham Road, Darrow Road (OH-91), Boston Mills Road | 25 miles (40 km) | Weekday limited service only |
| 104 Twinsburg/Creekside | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Twinsburg Creekside Park N Ride |
OH-8, Streetsboro Road (OH-303), Darrow Road (OH-91) | 25.1 miles (40.4 km) | Weekday limited service only |
| 110 Green/Springfield | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
Green Akron-Canton Airport |
Kelly Avenue, Massillon Road (OH-241), Mayfair Road | 19.4 miles (31.2 km) (via Pioneer Plastics) 18.7 miles (30.1 km) |
Weekdays only. With limited service via Pioneer Plastics Corporation. No evening service |
| DASH | Downtown RKP Transit Center |
University of Akron South College Street and University of Akron Arts & Science |
South Main Street, Broadway Street | 2.0 miles (3.2 km) | Downtown circulator route serving Downtown & The University of Akron. Weekdays only |
Facilities
Head Office
- Address: 416 Kenmore Boulevard, Akron
- Coordinates: 41°02′58.6″N 81°32′26.8″W
- Facilities: Head office, administration, vehicle storage and maintenance
Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center
- Address: 631 South Broadway Street, downtown Akron[5]
- Coordinates: 41°04′10″N 81°31′23″W
- Facilities: Terminus for local bus routes, suburban routes, X61 North Coast Express bus service to Cleveland,[6] intercity Greyhound services, and Stark County & Portage County connecting buses.[7][8] Youngstown’s WRTA route 81 serves as the Akron Youngstown express
- Opened: 18 January 2009
Rolling Acres Transit Center
- Address: 2340 Romig Road, Akron
- Facilities: Connector hub for routes 3, 14 and 9 serving West Akron and Barberton, Ohio. This hub is in the former Rolling Acres Mall parking lot. The mall has been shut down since 2008.
Independence Transit Center (Chapel Hill)
Serving North Akron/Cuyahoga Falls and routes 7, 10, 12, 19, & 34, "Independence Transit Center" is similar to Rolling Acres Transit Center which also has no public restroom but does have indoor waiting shelter facilities. [9]
Connecting services
METRO RTA service offers a number of connection opportunities to other area transit agencies.
GCRTA, a neighboring transit agency, provides connecting services between Cuyahoga County, Ohio (Greater Cleveland) and Akron METRO RTA. The two systems connect with one line in Brecksville on Katherine Boulevard (101), near the former VA Medical Center. GCRTA does not serve METRO RTA's Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center.[10]
METRO RTA's "North Coast Express" route 61 connect with GCRTA routes in downtown Cleveland.
PARTA, a neighboring transit agency, offers services between Portage County, Ohio (Kent/Ravenna) and Akron, including service to METRO RTA's Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center (90), along with connections in Stow(30).[11]
SARTA, a neighboring transit agency, operates one hourly weekday and Saturday route between Canton and Akron starting at 6:00am, 6:45am and every :45 until 8:45pm. This route, 81 Canton Akron Express, connects with METRO RTA. SARTA route 81 also serves Downtown Canton, Akron-Canton Regional Airport, Belden Village Transit Center in North Canton, Ohio, & Staples on Arlington Road in Akron from both Akron and Canton. SARTA's route services METRO RTA's Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center. Effective in 2018, SARTA also operates a direct express route in the fall and spring directly from Akron Metro Transit Center to Stark State College in North Canton Ohio. This route is named the 88 Stark State Express and runs five times a day and services Akron Metro's RKP Downtown Transit Center Stark State College and Belden Village Transit Center respectively.
References
- Metro's History
- "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2022" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2022" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
- "Akron Metro". METRO RTA.
- "Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center". METRO RTA.
- North Coast Express to Cleveland, Routes X61
- "Akron Metro Transit Center FAQs". METRO RTA.
- "Greyhound.com : Locations : Akron, Ohio". Greyhound Lines.
- "Akron Metro". METRO RTA.
- "Out-of-County Connections". Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. Archived from the original on 2009-04-10.
- "PARTA". Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority.
