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State Grant Will Fund Upkeep, Improvements, and New Program at Metro RTA

A Metro RTA bus
RAYMOND WAMBSGANS
/
CREATIVE COMMONS
A Metro RTA bus

Akron Metro RTA plans to use $3 million in grant funding from the State of Ohio for bus maintenance and bus stop improvements.

The money will also help Metro RTA fund new programs, including Flex Ride. The initiative aims to connect suburban job centers with workers in need of transportation. The program is expected to launch next year.

Metro RTA Planning Director Valarie Shay, says this money allows the organization the opportunity to do more with current budgets.

“This money is mainly focused on capital improvement projects," said Shay.  "And by getting grant money to put towards capital projects it also frees up some money in our budget to be able to put towards service. So it all kind of ends up coming together.”

The funding comes from the Urban Transit Program and the Ohio Transit Partnership Program.

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Carter is a senior journalism student at Kent State University and multimedia intern with WKSU. His concentration is in documentary photography, focusing on political unrest and working-class issues. He has worked on stories both local and abroad, having covered the 2016 Republican National Convention and the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in the Florida Keys.
Joseph Ciccolini is an intern at WKSU for Fall 2019. He is set to graduate in December, 2019 with a degree in broadcast journalism. After graduation he wants to pursue a career in sports radio. He is passionate about the Cleveland Cavaliers, Browns and Indians. In his free time he likes to watch sporting events and movies, with Star Wars being his favorite.