Bringing public transportation to an underserved community
As TARTA’s CEO put it, it’s an example of promises made and promises kept.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Today, the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority cut the ribbon on its new Route 33.
“The formation of Route 33 not only meets these basic needs, but also travels to the very heart of our community, where people of color can enjoy the many benefits of Toledo and Lucas County,” said Rev. Willie Perryman, president of the Toledo NAACP.
The new route primarily serves Toledo’s predominantly Black community: the Junction-Englewood neighborhood.
The route provides riders with the opportunity to shop at the Glendale Avenue Walmart, seek medical care at UTMC, or even grow closer to the surrounding neighborhoods.
TARTA CEO Laura Koprowski says this was only possible through voters’ support, and she says more expansions are coming.
“We have new routes, new improvements resulting from our TARTA Next redesign and expansion project hitting the road today,” Koprowski said.
Koprowski also brought up some other examples of TARTA working to meet a need in the community, including the reintroduction of Sunday service.
“In this crowd of TARTA supporters are more than 20 new bus operators, team TARTA employees,” she added.
