METRO Regional Transit Authority (METRO RTA), Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA), Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA), and the Akron-Canton Airport invite interested businesses, community organizations, and members of the public to participate in a virtual public hearing on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.

The purpose of the hearing is to provide information on upcoming federally funded transportation projects and to discuss opportunities for small business participation, community engagement, contracting opportunities, and partnerships related to transportation investments throughout the region.

The hearing will also provide an opportunity for participants to learn about future projects, ask questions, and share feedback regarding transportation initiatives that impact our communities.

This year's meeting will be held virtually via Zoom video conferencing.

To receive the Zoom meeting link, please pre-register by June 29, 2026, by emailing PARTA Director of Finance Rebecca Schrader at Schrader.r38@partaonline.org.

Summit County—METRO Regional Transit Authority is pleased to announce the return of Free Fare Summer Weekends throughout June, July, and August. Riders can take any METRO Direct route at no cost on Saturdays and Sundays.

“METRO is excited to offer Free Fare Weekends for the fifth year as a way to give back to our community and help remove transportation barriers to all the great events in our service area during the summer,” said Director of Public Relations & Marketing, Molly Becker. “If you always ride, try a different route. If you are new to riding, explore your community by bus.”

Free weekend rides begin Saturday, June 6, 2026, and end on Sunday, August 30, 2026. METRO ADA riders will also qualify for free weekend rides. Refunds or credits will not be issued for tickets and passes previously activated or purchased.

Click here to view routes & schedules. 

3, 6, 20, 27, and X61

Click here to view schedules. 

Please check your schedules! 

Robert DeJournett, a METRO board member and former Board President, has been selected to serve on APTA’s Executive Committee. DeJournett will serve as Transit Board Member At-Large, representing transit agencies and communities across the country.

Members of METRO’s executive team were also selected to serve at the national level.

Jarrod Hampshire, Chief of Staff, was selected to serve as Secretary of the APTA Bus Operations Committee, which provides a forum for transit leaders to discuss and share best practices related to the management of bus transit operations.

Shawn Metcalf, Chief Protection & Development Officer, was selected to serve as the Secretary of the APTA Security Affairs Committee. The purpose of this committee is to guide, coordinate, and help develop security initiatives and resources that strengthen the security of public transportation services and environments.

“These appointments reflect the dedication of the individuals serving our community every day,” said Dawn Distler, METRO CEO, “We are excited to have METRO represented at the national level and bring industry knowledge back to our area and, in turn, have METRO representatives share their insights as the 2025 Outstanding Public Transportation System.”

METRO Direct & ADA will operate on a Saturday schedule.

METRO Select will operate with limited service.

Click here to view schedules. 

In 2023, METRO introduced its service expansion and new service model, called Reimagine METRO. Creating more viable mobility solutions was part of the Reimagine METRO plan, and moving forward, has proven to be a successful service model. Reimagine METRO was just the first step of an ever-evolving role METRO plays in its community.

“METRO is using this success to look at further service enhancements and expansions, and more transit solutions, to help our communities move forward by removing transportation barriers for all. METRO continues to drive the economy with each trip taken. Our riders are using METRO to get to work, school, to medical appointments, to shop, and to keep their discretionary spending in our community,” said Dawn Distler, CEO of METRO.

In 2025, 5.6 million trips were taken by the riding public across all METRO’s families of service. This is a record high number since 2009 with 5.5 million trips taken by transit-loyal riders.

METRO now operates 365 days-a-year, has expanded coverage, added more frequency of service, and offers a variety of traveling options to the riding public, opening more doors to opportunities for those in Summit County. METRO also expands options into the counties we travel into and systems we connect with at the Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center, the main transit hub in downtown Akron.

METRO RTA is the public transportation provider in Summit County. METRO enhances the quality of life for our community by providing innovative transportation solutions that are safe, equitable, dependable, cost-effective, and customer-focused, now and into the future.

Riders can show their digital or printed ticket to the Operator and ride for free, no need to scan or swipe. This offer is only valid for METRO Direct and ADA services during daily operating hours on the dates of home games. Home game dates can be found on the Akron RubberDucks website at www.milb.com/akron/schedule/.

Route 29-

Schedule adjustment & timepoint change.

Timepoints for both inbound and outbound will now be at Main & Waterloo.

Click here to view all METRO Direct schedules.

Due to weather conditions, buses may be delayed or detoured. Be sure to check yourmetrobus.org for schedules, and use the bus stop ID texting feature or the Transit App for real-time updates.

For the most up-to-date information or additional assistance, please contact Customer Care at 330.762.0341.

Note: call volumes may be higher than usual, so wait times could be longer.

Thank you for your continued patience!

METRO Select will have limited service.

Grocery Bus will run a regular service.

Click here to view schedules! 

Sunday Schedule Adjustments:

• Route 8, 20, 22, & 31- Minor schedule adjustments 

Click here to view schedules! 

On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, METRO will operate on a weekday schedule. METRO ADA and Select services will be available.

Click here to view schedules. 

Summit County—METRO Regional Transit Authority waives fares on METRO Direct, ADA, and SCAT services starting December 3, 2025, through December 31, 2025. This includes free rides on the x61 Northcoast Express to Cleveland.

This initiative is an extension of the Giving Tuesday holiday and follows METRO previously providing complimentary rides during the government shutdown. By waiving fares, METRO RTA aims to remove transportation barriers and provide relief to our transit-loyal members of the Summit County community during the holiday season.

"We are committed to our community, and we know that having reliable, accessible transportation makes a huge difference for our riders, especially during the holidays," said METRO Chief of Staff Jarrod Hampshire, “This temporary fare suspension for METRO Direct, ADA, and SCAT is simply about making life a little easier for the community members who rely on us every day for essential trips.”

For information on routes and scheduling visit www.yourmetrobus.org.

“METRO recognizes that the loss of food benefits will create a financial burden for many of our transit-loyal riders,” said METRO CEO Dawn Distler. “If we can help alleviate some of the financial strain for our community members, we are pleased to do so.”

When boarding, passengers can show their Ohio Direction, SNAP, or EBT card to the operator, allowing both the cardholder and members of their household to ride free. The cardholder must be present at the time of boarding.

“Earlier this week, I called on the community to join the County in responding to this moment. METRO jumped into action to answer that call. Their efforts will help ensure our residents can get to food pantries and other resources with a little less stress,” said Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro. “This is what true collaboration looks like, and it is no surprise to see it on display in Summit County.”

For additional resources and information, visit www.211summit.org or co.summitoh.net. To find a list of local food distribution locations/pantries and the METRO routes that serve them, visit yourmetrobus.org/SNAP.

"No one should ever face transportation barriers when it comes to voting,” said CEO Dawn Distler. “By offering free rides on Veterans Day and Giving Tuesday, we’re expressing our gratitude to Veterans and supporting our community.”

Free rides will be available on METRO Direct and METRO ADA services only.

Polls for Election Day are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters can find polling locations by visiting the Summit County Board of Elections website.

For more details about Giving Tuesday, visit www.givingtuesday.org. To find METRO bus routes and schedules, go to www.yourmetrobus.org.

METRO RTA is the public transportation provider in Summit County. METRO enhances the quality of life for our community by providing innovative transportation solutions that are safe, equitable, dependable, cost-effective, and customer-focused, now and into the future.

Google Maps is currently experiencing problems with its real-time transit data. Riders may notice inaccurate or unavailable live updates when using the app.

If you are having issues, please contact Google directly at this link.

In the meantime, we recommend using the Transit app or MyStop for reliable real-time bus and route information.

METRO Select service will be limited.

Click here to view schedules. 

• Route 1, 2, 6, & 31 - Minor schedule adjustments
• Route 8 - Increased frequency to 15 minutes during peak times
• Route 9& 26 - Minor schedule adjustments & new departure times from RKP
• Route 29 - Increased frequency to 30 minutes during peak times, Corey and Carnegie Ave now serviced in both directions
• Route 32 - Darrow Rd & Corporate Dr timepoint (Joann Fabrics) removed, schedule adjustment

Saturday Schedule Adjustments:

• Route 9 & 26 - Minor schedule adjustments & new departure times from RKP
• Route 29 - Corey and Carnegie Ave now serviced in both directions, minor schedule adjustments

Sunday service will start earlier. The first lineup will depart RKP at 8a.m.

Click here to view schedules. 

Summit County— METRO’s Board of Trustees approved updates to bus Routes 8 and 29, along with a system-wide improvement to Sunday service hours. These changes are designed to improve frequency and better serve the needs of our community.

Routes 8 and 29 will see improved frequency during peak hours. Route 8 will operate every 15 minutes, increased from the previous 30-minute frequency. Route 29 will operate every 30 minutes, improved from its former hourly service. Sunday service starts earlier. The first lineup will depart from the Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center at 8 AM, previously the first departure was at 10:00 AM on Sundays.

“These changes reflect our commitment to listening to the community and making METRO more responsive to people's needs,” said Director of Planning, Nathan Leppo, “by adding increased frequency and earlier service on Sundays, our transit-loyal riders have more freedom and flexibility to get where they need to be.”

These changes go into effect, Sunday, August 17. To view the schedules, click here.

This prestigious national award recognizes excellence in transit operations and is a testament to the hard work, innovation, and commitment of METRO’s team members in providing safe, reliable, and high-quality service to members of our community.

“Being selected for this honor is a reflection of our entire team’s dedication and the strong partnerships we have built with our passengers, local leaders, and community organizations,” said Dawn Distler, METRO CEO. “We’re incredibly proud to serve Summit County and are committed to continuing to improve and innovate public transit in our region. I want to thank the entire METRO team for their unwavering dedication to this community.”

APTA presents this award annually to transit systems that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efficiency, safety, operations, customer service, and community engagement and based the decision on qualitative and quantitative measures. METRO was selected from public transportation systems across North America in the category of agencies with more than 3 million but fewer than 15 million annual passenger trips. METRO will be formally recognized during the 2025 APTA TRANSform Conference this September. In 2024, METRO’s CEO Dawn Distler was awarded the CEO of the Year at the TRANSform conference further proving our continued commitment to excellence.