Service to Oregon
Service to Oregon
Residents of and businesses in the City of Oregon will soon have an expanded list of options for getting where they need to go or bringing in employees and customers.
The Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) has circled Sunday, January 7, 2024 as its date to bring all three of its public transportation options to the City of Oregon for the first time.
TARTA’s Board of Trustees has approved the start of fixed-route, paratransit and TARTA Flex on-demand services in that area for the first Sunday of the new year, an action preceded by months of research, conversations with community leaders and a hiring push for more bus operators needed to make the transition work.
“This is something we have been preparing for, and it is great to see it come to fruition, both for the people in northwest Ohio who need the service to connect them to and from Oregon and for TARTA,” said TARTA Board of Trustees President Mary Morrison. “I want to thank our partners in the Oregon community as well as the people on Team TARTA who have worked so hard to make this a reality.
“Access to public transportation can change lives. We saw that and heard from people who had experienced that when we restored Sunday and holiday service and brought service out to Holland and Springfield Township. We look forward to continuing to build on these improvements and connecting even more customers to better jobs, medical appointments, and a higher quality of life.”
Other service changes taking effect Jan. 7:
TARTA’s Route 2 will be extended to stops in Oregon such as St. Charles Hospital and Walmart, giving travelers a one-seat ride from Oregon to the Toledo Museum of Art, Franklin Park Mall, and other destinations on that route. Fixed-route service will run every 30 minutes from those stops in Oregon.
TARPS paratransit service will be available to anyone living within ¾ of a mile of a TARTA bus stop, including those on Seaman Road and Navarre Avenue in Oregon.
The entire City of Oregon will be in a TARTA Flex zone, giving residents the option to request an on-demand ride or schedule one in a fully accessible vehicle. Oregon and Rossford will be a single Flex zone, giving riders the opportunity to request a ride to-and-from anywhere in those communities for $3 each way.
“Since this process began, we have heard from so many people in Oregon who are in need of paratransit or other services to get them to essential destinations,” said TARTA CEO Laura Koprowski. “It is an exciting time to be at TARTA, and with the TARTA Flex service in Oregon connecting to the zone in Rossford, we will be able to give even more options to customers in Oregon who want to give public transit a try.
“Great cities put a focus on mobility, and it has always been our goal to connect as many people as we can to the wonderful things this area has to offer. We continue our push to hire more drivers and improve our service in other ways to accomplish that task.”
This marks the third time TARTA has expanded its coverage area in less than a year to add more options for those wishing to take public transportation. The TARTA Flex on-demand option hit the road in suburban communities in January of 2023, and fixed-route and a paratransit service to Holland and Springfield Township started in March.
TARTA will host soon to be announced events in Oregon in the coming weeks to help potential customers get acquainted with the service and its impact.
