At Thursday’s board of trustees meeting, the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority authorized the acquisition of 12 new vehicles for paratransit services and emphasized its initiative to redo bus stop signage in the Toledo area.
In a resolution the board approved, the agency’s CEO was given the green light to execute a contract for 10 2023 Starcraft Allstar 26 vehicles and two Ford E-Transit 350 Gamechangers. The total cost is not to exceed $1.6 million.
The 10 Starcraft vehicles will be replacing old vehicles, and the two Gamechangers will be increasing the fleet size, said Rick Bailey, chief customer experience and mobility officer.
Toledo Area Regional Paratransit Services — designed for those with disabilities — include buses with lifts, ramps, and trained staff members. TARPS customers can use the TARTA bus line free of fare. They can also use TARTA Flex, an accessible on-demand van system, for $3 each way.
There are usually 650 to 800 paratransit trips each day in the Toledo area, according to Mr. Bailey.
“I arrived at TARTA in 2020, when our buses — whether they were the large fixed-route buses or the paratransit vehicles — were way past their useful life,” said Laura Koprowski, the chief executive officer of TARTA.
Ms. Koprowski explained that the paratransit vehicles typically have a lifespan of seven years, but some of them were 14 to 15 years old.
“That is not safe; that is not acceptable,” Ms. Koprowski said. “With our paratransit service, we are taking some of our most fragile populations and residents to medical appointments. To ride around in an old vehicle is very loud, noisy, and uncomfortable, so it has been a priority of TARTA and this board that we modernize the fleet.”
Ms. Koprowski expressed excitement at the resolution that passed to acquire new vehicles and gratitude to the state of Ohio for providing grant money to make the initiative possible.
It has been in the works a long time, Ms. Koprowski explained.
TARTA has been trying to get new paratransit vehicles for four years. Because of the pandemic, there were constant backorders and supply chain issues, Ms. Koprowski said. Finally, the team was able to get the job done.
The board meeting also shed light on a current project to replace and update bus stop signs.
TARTA has been working for two years to introduce new signage. New signs will be nearly four times larger, lowered to eye level, and will include essential information such as the bus stop number and the TARTA website.
“We say oftentimes among my team and myself, we want TARTA to be the easiest part of your day,” Ms. Koprowski said.
In the spirit of ensuring customer ease and satisfaction, TARTA assembled a customer advisory committee made up of bus riders just over a year ago.
The members of the group range from young to old and cover a range of mobility challenges and visual impairments, said Susan Gettum, chief of staff.
“They serve on a committee that meets bimonthly to give us advice and input,” said Ms. Gettum. “They also take the information that we have about changes we’re making and improvements and take it out into the community they serve.”
In a resolution that passed, the TARTA governance committee was authorized to appoint three new individuals to the customer advisory board in order to fill vacancies.
“They have a lot to say and a lot of input,” Ms. Gettum said. “They are great to work with.”
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