RTA to Receive $800,000 From Ohio for Bus Stops and 'Last Mile' Transportation

RTA’s MicroTransit experiment in Solon ended this fall after “stagnating” ridership. The transit agency’s getting $800,000 from the state for, it seems, another go at first-mile, last-mile transportation. Credit: Mark Oprea

The RTA is lined up to get almost $1 million in funding from the state, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Friday morning.

Along with 31 other transit organizations and projects throughout Ohio, from Dayton to Lorain, RTA will get a combined $800,000 in grants straight from the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Office of Transit.

Money will head towards cleaning up and updating bus stops across the county, though RTA has not yet specified exactly which ones. Transit critics have long pointed out problems with stops that lack shade or sidewalks, presenting danger to waiting bus riders with no protection from the elements or traffic.

That latter check of $300,000, RTA said, will go towards first- and last-mile transit across Cuyahoga County and parts of Lorain—a way of carting non-car users to their office buildings and places of work.

Which may seem a bit of a gamble: last month, the RTA cancelled a shuttle service centered in Solon after finding that, after a little more than a year, ridership had “stagnated.”

An RTA spokesperson declined to offer further comment on plans. “RTA is very appreciative of the grant funds awarded as announced by Gov. Mike DeWine,” they told Scene.

With the future of Amtrak and urban-area transit funding up in the air minding the incoming Trump administration, DeWine’s gift from Ohio’s general fund dollars is a reminder of a state’s potential to keep buses and rail rolling despite national trends and policies.

DeWine’s policies included.

“Transportation should never be a barrier to opportunity,” DeWine said in a statement Friday. “With these grants, we’re ensuring that Ohioans can easily travel to and from work without having to choose between a good paying job or the relocation of their family.”