Ridership is climbing on the Metro buses in Akron, Ohio, after a major overhaul based on something often overlooked in public transit: listening to what passengers need and acting on it. Mark Strassmann reports.

Akron

Akron's Metro transit system underwent a major transformation by redesigning its routes, improving bus frequency, and expanding service to seven days a week. The overhaul was guided by direct feedback from riders and a commitment to customer service, with CEO Dawn Disler regularly riding the buses to gather input.

These changes led to a 24 percent increase in ridership, far exceeding the national average. Metro also invested in a new $61 million maintenance facility and adopted new hiring practices focused on attitude and service. The system's efforts were recognized with the 2025 National Mass Transit System of the Year award.

Behind the overhaul that turned Akron's bus system into nation's best

You're about to learn how Akron reimagined its mass transit system. What would you change if you could change anything? This is how, by listening. Are we coming on time? Dawn Disler rides a different bus once or twice a week. And when she does, she's all ears. We are here for you. Nearly 40 years ago, Disler drove a bus here. Today, she's the CEO of Metro, Akron's transit system, serving more than 5 million riders a year. It's an old school approach, asking your customer, what can we do for you? And also, getting out and riding. If we're not using our product, why should anybody else use it? Metro threw out its dated map of where buses fan out across the city. Routes changed. Frequency improved. Buses started running seven days a week, every 15 minutes, where they're needed most. And how far from work do you live? It's about four or five miles. We rode with Tim Burton on his way to a new job, at this grocery store where he stocks shelves. You can call him, without exaggeration, a lifelong Metro user. As a newborn, his mother brought him home on a Metro bus. Frequency is the biggest thing for me. Every 15 minutes is just incredible. Metro also started hiring differently. Take Robin Hunley, our bus driver. Were you surprised when they hired you? Oh, man, I was. It was the best gift ever. Hunley applied with no prior experience driving one of these 40-footers. No problem. I just knew it was something I wanted to do, and I was ready. We can teach you how to drive a bus. I can't teach you how to be nice. Oh, you're welcome. Yeah. It's fun. It's good. Akron's transit system reinvented itself in 2023. Over the next year, ridership increased 24 percent, more than triple the national average. All of our maintenance will be done in this space. Disler walked us through the city's new $61 million bus maintenance facility. And Metro won the industry's Oscar, the 2025 National Mass Transit System of the Year. Basically, you played the cards you had, rather than the cards you wish you had. Yeah. No, no. Nobody gave us more money. Being able to get where you need to go, having transportation to get you there, as far as I'm concerned, that's a civil right. Metro is riding high on its back-to-basics route, provided... Does that one run enough? And they will ride it. For Eye on America, I'm Mark Strassman in Akron, Ohio.

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