Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority

Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority
Founded1971
HeadquartersToledo, Ohio
Service areaGreater Toledo. U.S.
Service typebus service, paratransit
DestinationsLucas County and Rossford, Ohio
HubsCherry and Huron
Annual ridership1,874,162 (2022)
Chief executiveMary Morrison, president
Kendra Smith, vice president
Laura Koprowski, Chief Executive Officer
WebsiteTARTA.com

Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) is a public transit agency that has been operating in Toledo, Ohio since 1971. TARTA services 32 bus routes[1] in and around the Toledo metropolitan area and carries approximately 2 million passengers every year. Every TARTA fixed-route bus is equipped with a bicycle rack.[2] The transit authority has special buses designed especially for disabled riders called TARPS (Toledo Area Regional Paratransit Service), which acts along the lines of the Americans with Disabilities Act.[3]

In summer 2009, TARTA added 40 new buses to its fleet, including 10 mini-sized buses and 18 full-sized buses, in addition to 11 expanded buses for its TARPS fleet. The new buses were purchased with $7 million in federal money.[4]

In August 2022, fare collection resumed at pre-COVID rates systemwide.[5]

Routes and TARTA Flex

A TARTA bus at the Toledo Museum of Art

TARTA fixed-route buses have routes in Toledo, including Maumee, Ottawa Hills, Rossford, Sylvania, Sylvania Township, Holland, and Springfield Township. TARTA offers coverage to much of the rest of Lucas County through its on-demand service, TARTA Flex. Flex provides rides in accessible vans within transit zones, including:

  • Northwest Zone: Toledo Express Eugene F. Kranz Airport, Holland, Ottawa Hills, Springfield Township, Sylvania Township
  • Southwest Zone: Maumee, Monclova Township, Springfield Township, Waterville, Whitehouse
  • Rossford

TARTA also offers Special Event Transportation from certain locations to and from several events, including Toledo Mud Hens games, Toledo Jeep Fest, Glass City JazzFest, and the Glass City Marathon.

Sustainable Initiatives

  • In 2023, TARTA received a $9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as part of a consortium - Zero Emission Ready Ohio. This grant will fund eight full-size electric buses and six electric chargers by mid-2026.
  • TARTA Participated in a study conducted by the Intermodal Transportation Institute at The University of Toledo to investigate the impacts of using a mixture of renewable biofuel and diesel fuel
  • TARPS facility features solar and geothermal technology
  • Sustainability Commitment with the American Public Transportation Association
  • TARTA is a member of the Toledo-Lucas County Sustainability Commission[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Routes & Schedules". TARTA. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  2. ^ "TARTA". TARTA. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  3. ^ "TARPS information". TARTA. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  4. ^ "TARTA gets new buses with stimulus money". 13abc. August 27, 2009. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.
  5. ^ "Fares and Passes". TARTA. February 2, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  6. ^ "Sustainability commitment". TARTA. TARTA. November 12, 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2014.