May 28 Regional Transit Authority Board of Trustees meeting
Covered by Documenter Rick Bohan (see his notes here)
New numbers released at a May 28 METRO Regional Transit Authority Board of Trustees meeting show that more Akronites are using public transportation.
Safety, Equity & Planning Committee Chair Dana LaGarde said average weekday ridership is up this month, though weekend ridership is down slightly, and passenger trips increased in the first quarter of 2024, returning to pre-pandemic levels.
On-time performance has improved over the same period last year, and miles between preventable accidents have increased. Accidents and preventable accidents were down in the first quarter of the year.
METRO also reported making strides with new hires with a success rate of 88%. Customer Experience & Service Performance Committee Chair John Valle said on-time performance is at 83% and call volume is down as more riders make arrangements online.
2023 Annual Report shares data beyond METRO ridership stats
To get a better understanding of the numbers, here are a few stats METRO shared in its 2023 Annual Report:
- 4,036,072 boardings, (this compares to 4,960,026 boardings in 2019)
- 4,182,520 miles traveled
- 3 operators achieved 20+ years of safe driving (years without preventable accidents)
- 108,608 miles between preventable accidents
Also at the meeting, METRO CEO Dawn Distler said the new federally funded Maintenance and Operations Facility will “open soon.”
In June 2023, the Federal Transit Administration awarded METRO a $37 million grant. This money is to build a LEED-certified facility that would support a fleet of nearly 250 vehicles. The facility is being built on METRO-owned property adjacent to its existing facilities on Kenmore Boulevard.
The building will have two main functional areas for operations and vehicle maintenance. In addition there will be a new visitor parking lot, a reconfigured employee parking lot, and a commercial driver’s license training pad, according to a press release.
Metro officials approved a new union contract following the expiration of a prior three-year agreement with the Transport Workers Union of America, which expired May 31.
