Since 2021, METRO has been working on a plan to improve its bus network. The Reimagined Network is a service plan for METRO’s fixed-route bus network that seeks to make transit more useful to more people, by expanding access to more destinations and opportunities. It is designed to provide frequent and convenient service in busy places where many people need to travel to, while continuing to offer lifeline services in places where and for people for whom transit is essential. From 2021 to the beginning of 2023, METRO conducted three rounds of outreach with the public and stakeholders on the Reimagined Network, refining the design after each round. On March 28, 2023, METRO’s Board of Trustees approved the changes in a unanimous vote. The Reimagine METRO network was put into service on June 4, 2023.
The key features of the Reimagined Network include:
- Restoration of the number of service hours to pre-pandemic levels.
- More streamlined service to take people where they need to go faster.
- Expanded weekend service – all routes will run on Saturdays and Sundays except for 3 regional routes.
- Five new high frequency corridors: West Market, South Arlington, East Exchange, Grant/Brown, and Euclid/Diagonal/Vernon Odom.
- Three new 30-minute routes added to the five existing 30-minute services.
- New regional connections to Brimfield and Cuyahoga County.
With this network, the median county resident who lives near transit would be about to reach about 53% more jobs with a 45-minute trip, and a majority of those residents would be near a route than comes at least every 30 minutes. Over 97% of riders on today’s network would be within a ¼-mile walk to a stop with the new network, and over 63% would be within a short walk of a route running every 15 minutes.
Explore the Reimagine Network!
Project Timeline
The Reimagine METRO project had eight main phases, concluding with the implementation of the Reimagined Network on June 4, 2023.
To Learn More, access project documents: