TARTA / Route Bulletins/News Archive

2004 News Archive

December 13, 2004

TARTA making schedule improvements to Routes 3, 10L, 20 and 43.
Effective Effective Sunday, December 26, 2004, Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority Routes 3 and 43 will be interlined—specifically, at the UT Transit Center—to improve service. Interlining, or through-routing, means a passenger whose trip involves two routes does not need to transfer between buses and there’s no transfer fee.

Routes 10L and 20 have been adjusted slightly to allow more time between stops on the route.

Downloadable PDF files of the routes are here:
• Route 3 Secor Crosstown
• Route 10L Rossford / Perrysburg
• Route 20 Central
• Route 43 Byrne Crosstown
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December 22, 2004

TARTA schedule for Christmas and New Year's Holidays:
Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority buses will operate Christmas Eve, Friday, on a regular non-school day schedule; Christmas Day, Saturday, on a holiday schedule.

New Year's Eve Friday, on a regular non-school day schedule; New Year's Day, Saturday, on a holiday schedule.
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November 24, 2004

TARTA Route 5 bus stop change.
Due to reconfiguration of the traffic light entrance to Walmart on Holland-Sylvania Road, to following changes are effective immediately:

Passengers will board the Route 5 bus in the delivery driveway at the bus stop sign.Passengers are asked to please remain in the shelter until the Route 5 bus arrives at the stop.This is a temporary change and affects Route 5 only.

November 8, 2004

TARTA asks community to help “fill the bus” during the 2004 Scouting for Food drive at Westgate Village.
Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority TARTA is participating in the community-wide 2004 Scouting for Food drive benefitting the Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank.
A TARTA bus will be parked at Westgate Village Shopping Center—corner of Secor Road and Central Avenue—Friday, November 12, to collect donated food from the community 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. TARTA buses will have boxes on-board all day Friday to collect food donated from passengers as well.

2003 statistics reported by Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank member agencies:

Over 233,000 people in Northwest Ohio received emergency food assistance in 2003 up 157% since 2001.
41% of those seeking food assistance were children totaling 91,484 children up from 71,269 in 2001.
The number of meals served in soup kitchens and shelters rose 150% in just two years to nearly 780,000 meals served. Shelters saw the largest increase from nearly 187,000 in 2001 to nearly 398,000 in 2003.
The Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank distributed 3.2 million pounds of food and grocery products to over 330 member agencies in Northwest Ohio.

Last year, the Scouting for Food drive collected over 211,000 pounds of food for the Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank benefitting 330 agencies in 8 counties in Northwest Ohio including Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Wood and Williams. More information is available at toledofoodbank.org

September 28, 2004

TARTA to commemorate COMMUNITIES IN MOTION 2004 with 25¢ fare.
Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority will commemorate COMMUNITIES IN MOTION 2004 by offering a fare of 25 cents Thursday, October 7, 2004 on all of its regularly scheduled routes (regular fare is 85 cents), as well as TARTA Call-A-Ride servicing Maumee, Perrysburg and Sylvania/Sylvania Twp.-—half of its usual fare. The TARTA Airport Express will also be 25 cents, normally two dollars. TARTA’s paratransit service, TARPS, will be reduced to 50¢ for the day.

COMMUNITIES IN MOTION 2004 is a nationwide effort developed by APTA—the American Public Transportation Association-—to promote public transportation’s benefits to all citizens in the form of economic development, reduced congestion, more livable communities and cleaner air.

A transit coalition report, “Dollars & Sense: The Economic Case for Public Transportation in America,” found that every dollar taxpayers invest in public transportation generates $6 or more in economic returns.
Without transportation choices, there would be 64,413 more cars on the road in New Orleans, 167,061 more cars on San Diego roads, and 2,610,280 more cars on New York City roads, according to the Sierra Club.
Public transportation continues to be one of the safest modes of travel in the United States: Riding a transit bus is 91 times safer than car travel.

More information about the benefits and importance of public transportation for all Americans—even those who don’t use it—is available online at www.publictransportation.org. TARTA riders may call 419-243-RIDE (7433) or visit www.TARTA.com for more information.

August 27, 2004

TARTA route changes effective Sunday.
As of Sunday, August 29, 2004, Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) will change the following routes:

Route 3A/3L Lakeside Centre/Southwyck Crosstown renamed 3A/3L Secor Crosstown: All trips to and from Lakeside Centre (formerly Northtowne Square) will end at the University of Toledo Transit Center instead of Southwyck Shopping Center.Route 10S South Suburban renamed 10L Rossford / Perrysburg: All trips to and from the downtown Toledo stations will end at Levis Commons in Perrysburg instead of Southwyck Shopping Center.Route 43 Byrne Crosstown is a new route: All trips to and from the University of Toledo Transit Center will end at Levis Commons in Perrysburg. This new crosstown route will absorb the current route deviations cut from routes 3 and 10Information is available at 419-243-7433. Routes and schedule maps are available at www.TARTA.com and all area libraries.

August 18, 2004

Intent to file a 2005 Program of Projects and Offering an Opportunity for Public Comment.
Notice is hereby given that the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority intends to apply for Federal capital funds to carry out the projects outlined below. The request will fund the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority’s 2005 Program of Projects.

Information on the program is available at the offices of the Authority at 1127 West Central Avenue between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

PROPOSED
TOLEDO AREA REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY
FISCAL YEAR 2005 PROGRAM OF PROJECTS

Total Funds Available for 2005 Program of Projects: $ 5,400,000

Activity	Fed Share	Total Price
Preventative Maintenance	$3,840,000	$4,800,000
ADA Paratransit Service (10% of allocation)	$540,000	$2,400,000
Transit Enhancements (1% of allocation x 2 years)	$54,000	$67,000
Purchase Under 30’ Buses Systemwide	$480,000	$600,000
Planning & Marketing Systemwide	$240,000	$300,000
Total	$5,154,000	$8,167,000

Written public comment on the proposed Program of Projects will be accepted by the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority until the close of business on September 9, 2004. All comments shall be addressed to James K. Gee, General Manager, Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority, P.O. Box 792, Toledo, Ohio 43697-0792. Comments received by the closing date will be considered in preparing and carrying out the Program. An opportunity for a public hearing will be afforded if requested in the comments.

This program will become final and will be submitted to the Federal Transit Administration upon completion of the public participation process unless amended by action of the Board of Trustees of the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority.

James K. Gee
General Manager
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July 30, 2004

TARTA to Help Waterville Residents Get Library Service During Renovations to Waterville Branch Library .
The Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) is working with the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library to ensure Waterville residents have access to public library materials and services. While the Waterville Branch Library is closed for renovation and expansion, TARTA will provide free transportation to and from the Maumee Branch Library, and the Main Branch, downtown.Waterville residents may take the 29W route with a stop on River Road, directly in front of the Maumee Branch Library. The 29W route leaves Waterville at approximately 9:40 a.m., 11:40 a.m. and 1:40 p.m.Returning to Waterville, riders may be pick up the 29W at the TARTA stop at the intersection of Waite Avenue and River Road at approximately 11 p.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Riders need only to show their library card for free transportation.The Waterville Branch Library, 800 Michigan Avenue, Waterville, will be closed for renovations beginning Monday, August 2. The last day for regular service within the facility will be Saturday, July 31. The facility is expected to reopen in early 2005. The project is expected to cost $1.1 million and will expand the library from 7,800 to just under 12,000 square feet. This is not the first time TARTA has worked with the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library. For the past four years, TARTA has provided free transportation to the library for area youths, grades K through 12, participating in the Summer Reading Club.

July 9, 2004

TARTA to explore use of biodiesel fuels.
Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority is taking part in a study investigating the impact of using a mixture of biodiesel fuels and petroleum-based diesel fuel. The study is being conducted with a $1.5 million grant made possible by Ohio 9th District Representative Marcy Kaptur. Congresswoman Kaptur is committed to America’s “energy independence” by replacing imported petroleum with renewable energy such as biofuels.Biofuel is defined as an alternative clean-burning fuel made from domestic renewable resources such as corn and soybeans. Biodiesel is biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. Biodiesel has up to 20 times less carbon monoxide than petroleum-based diesel fuel.The study, beginning this fall, will be conducted by the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Toledo with three different fuels: low-sulfur diesel fuel (currently used in all of TARTA’s fleet); ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel; and a mixture of 80% ULSD fuel and 20% methyl ester biofuel—soybean oil and yellow grease (primarily, recycled cooking oil from restaurants).Biodiesel will not affect the engine warranties by their respective manufacturers when used up to a 20% mixture with petroleum-based diesel fuel—known as “B20”—because no engine modifications are necessary.Vehicle testing will be conducted over a three-year period concurrent with data analysis data collection. The study will focus on differences in emissions, engine performance, engine wear, and operating costs. Air quality for passengers will also be measured—a first of its kind. In addition to TARTA, buses from the University of Toledo and Toledo Public Schools are participating in the study.

May 24, 2004

TARTA is first in US to purchase VigilVanguard driver training support system.
Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) has purchased the first VigilVanguard driver training support system in the United States. Developed in Australia for transit systems in Sydney and Brisbane, the VigilVanguard instruments a transit bus to collect data on driver performance during training. It uses sensors to capture information on the speed, acceleration, braking, cornering, and following distance. These data are combined with information from four cameras to provide a trainer and trainee a comprehensive view of what occurred during the training. Mr. Jim Gee, TARTA General Manger noted, “The VigilVanguard will improve our driver training program and is an excellent example of how TARTA is using new technology to improve the way we do business.” The system is completely portable and can be installed and removed from a bus in a matter of minutes. “The system collects useful information on driver performance, and since TARTA cannot dedicate a bus to training, this system meets our needs by allowing us to use a bus during the off hours and have it ready for service during our peak periods,” noted Mr. Gee.The VigilVanguard was developed by Vigil Systems of Brisbane Australia, which has formed a U.S. subsidiary, Vigil Systems, Inc. in Worthington, Ohio. President, David M. Norstrom, indicated that the system is currently being deployed in Australia and Singapore, with additional U.S. orders in Ohio and California.