Release Date: March 23,2020
METRO RTA encourages passengers to limit travel to life-necessary trips.
March 23, 2020, Akron, Ohio — While METRO RTA continues to provide service to residents of Summit County, it encourages residents to stay home if travel is not life necessary. This follows guidelines set forth in Governor Mike DeWine’s Stay At Home Order announced Sunday, March 22.
The order issued by Governor DeWine means public transportation should be used for essential travel only. Life necessary trips include going to the grocery store and receiving medical care. Social visits and recreational activities are not life necessary and individuals should not ride the bus for these reasons.
METRO’s ridership has decreased by 30 percent, which indicates people are taking social distancing and Governor DeWine’s orders seriously. Due to no ridership, METRO temporarily cancelled service on its Northcoast Express x60 route to Cleveland after passengers communicated to the bus operator they would be telecommuting and therefore not be using the service. This cancellation is not permanent and x60 service will be reinstated in the future.
METRO’s highest priority is the safety of its team members and passengers. We are proud to continue to connect our community members with life necessary services. We ask that the residents of Summit County please support and respect our dedicated team members who continue working tirelessly to ensure services are available as scheduled.
For updates regarding METRO’s response to coronavirus, visit akronmetro.org. METRO RTA is the public transportation provider in Summit County. METRO enhances the quality of life for our community by providing innovative transportation solutions that are safe, dependable, cost-effective and customer focused, now and into the future.