Release Date: May 1,2026
METRO RTA Hits Major Milestones in Service Coverage and 2025 Record Ridership
May 1, 2026, Summit County—METRO Regional Transit Authority (METRO) is honored and excited to announce that it is now accessible to all Summit County residents through fixed-route services on METRO Direct and through a variety of METRO Select services, including METRO SCAT, METRO ADA, and the newly expanded METRO NEXT.
In 2023, METRO introduced its service expansion and new service model, called Reimagine METRO. Creating more viable mobility solutions was part of the Reimagine METRO plan, and moving forward, has proven to be a successful service model. Reimagine METRO was just the first step of an ever-evolving role METRO plays in its community.
“METRO is using this success to look at further service enhancements and expansions, and more transit solutions, to help our communities move forward by removing transportation barriers for all. METRO continues to drive the economy with each trip taken. Our riders are using METRO to get to work, school, to medical appointments, to shop, and to keep their discretionary spending in our community,” said Dawn Distler, CEO of METRO.
In 2025, 5.6 million trips were taken by the riding public across all METRO’s families of service. This is a record high number since 2009 with 5.5 million trips taken by transit-loyal riders.
METRO now operates 365 days-a-year, has expanded coverage, added more frequency of service, and offers a variety of traveling options to the riding public, opening more doors to opportunities for those in Summit County. METRO also expands options into the counties we travel into and systems we connect with at the Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center, the main transit hub in downtown Akron.
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, equitable, dependable, cost effective, and customer-focused, now and into the future.