Holiday Bus Makes Its Official Debut at Library Event
There were lots of bright eyes and excited smiles as the 2018 WRTA Holiday Bus was officially launched Monday, November 26 at the Boardman Branch of the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County.
The festively decorated bus rolled into the parking lot at 9:30 am. The news media took videos and photos and interviewed WRTA Executive Director Dean Harris — and our specially invited guests, students from Alta Head Start, waited their turn while coloring pictures in the Library’s meeting room. Then in small groups, the children filed on board the bus to the sounds of holiday music for a visit with Santa Claus, who was waiting for them on his “throne” on the back seat. They received treats courtesy of the Library and WRTA.
WRTA thanks the Library for hosting this event, and Alta Head Start for the delightful kids who provided a special touch of excitement on this fun morning.
You can look for the WRTA Holiday Bus now through Christmas Eve. It will travel every Fixed Route in our system at least once — click here for a complete schedule. And all rides on the Holiday Bus are free! The bus will make its final appearance on New Year’s Eve at downtown Youngstown’s First Night celebration.
The Next “Where’s Manny” Contest Is Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 9:00 am
If you’re the first to guess where Manny is along one of our WRTA Fixed Routes, you’ll win a $50 Visa Card. The person who makes the second correct guess will win 10 WRTA Adult Ride passes.
Look for our next contest Wednesday, November 28 at 9:00 am on the WRTA Facebook page!
For official rules and more details please visit https://www.wrtaonline.com/manny/
The WRTA Holiday Bus Is Back!
For the second year, WRTA’s Holiday Bus will be bringing cheer to our riders — and to everyone in the community.
The newly decorated 2018 Holiday Bus will go into service the day after Thanksgiving, and will run on every WRTA Fixed Route at least once up through Christmas Eve Day.
We’ve really outdone ourselves with the festive decor of this year’s bus, both inside and out. So climb on board and enjoy the holiday music. And the best part? All rides on the WRTA Holiday Bus are free!
For a complete Holiday Bus schedule click here.
All the best of the season from all of us at WRTA!
Congratulations to Our Latest “Where’s Manny?” Contest Winners
Our most recent “Where’s Manny?” contest was held November 14, and we’re happy to congratulate our First and Second Place winners, Donna Cox and Sherri Woodford. Donna is the winner of a $50 Visa Card, while Sherri wins 10 free WRTA Adult Ride passes.
As you can see, Manny was at Warren’s Courthouse Square. Watch for the next Where’s Manny contest on WRTA’s Facebook page, happening the last week of November.
Congratulations to Our First “Where’s Manny?” Contest Winners
The first “Where’s Manny?” contest was held Halloween morning, and we’re happy to congratulate our First and Second Place winners, Greg Vitullo and Katerra Moore. Greg is the winner of a $50 Visa Card, while Katerra wins 10 free WRTA Adult Ride passes.
As you can see, Manny was in Boardman Park. Watch for the next Where’s Manny contest on WRTA’s Facebook page, happening later this month.
Dean J. Harris Named New WRTA Executive Director
Following a nationwide search, The Western Reserve Transit Authority Board of Trustees has chosen Dean J. Harris as WRTA’s new Executive Director.
There were 27 applicants for the WRTA Executive Director position. Seven were selected from this group, and three were interviewed by the Board of Trustees.
Mr. Harris previously served as Director of Finance and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer for the METRO Regional Transit Authority of Akron, a position he held from June 1997 to January 2017. He first joined Akron METRO in 1989, and also served as a Financial Administrator, Inventory/Quality Control Manager and Accountant. Since February 2017, Mr. Harris has been a Senior Financial Specialist for the Ohio Transit Risk Pool.
He is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Akron. Mr. Harris is currently the Treasurer of Leadership Medina County, and previously served as a board member of the Medina County Port Authority and Treasurer of Citizens for Public Transportation. He received the Leonard Ronis Transit Person of the Year Award in 2017.
Mr. Harris began his tenure as Executive Director on October 17.
Free-4-All Friday: Ride Free on All Fixed Route Buses Sept. 14!
Leave your fare in your pocket Friday, September 14, when rides on all WRTA Fixed Route buses are absolutely free,
Morning, afternoon and Nightline, you can ride any WRTA Fixed Route bus as many times as you want for no charge.
It’s our way of saying “Thank You” to our loyal riders, and also a way for those who’ve never used the WRTA system before to find out just how easy and convenient it is.
Remember, all Fixed Route buses are FREE on Friday, September 14!
Please note that this promotion does not apply to WRTA ADA All-Access or Countywide Service.
Time Change for the May WRTA Board of Directors Meeting
The time for the upcoming meeting of the WRTA Board of Directors has been changed to Thursday, May 31 at 2:00 p.m.
The meeting will take place in the WRTA Board Room, 604 Mahoning Avenue in Youngstown.
To view the meeting agenda, click here.
New myStop Mobile App Helps You Track Buses, Plan Your Trips
Thanks to amazing new technology introduced by WRTA, our riders are now able to track every bus in our system, plan trips in advance down to the minute, and even receive text messages telling them their bus is minutes away from their stop.
The free myStop Mobile smartphone app makes all of this possible — and more! Here is what you can do with this app:
- Track your bus
You’ll never have to wonder “Where is my bus?” The myStop Mobile app has maps for every fixed route. You’ll see the exact location of the WRTA bus(es) on that route in real time — and the location updates every minute, so you’ll actually see the bus move from stop to stop. Click on any stop along the route, and you can see when the next bus is due to arrive at that stop. Other information available includes the most recent stop the bus has passed, whether it’s running on time or late, and the number of passengers on board at that moment. - Plan your trip in advance
Enter your current location and the destination you want to reach. Trip Planner will return the route number of the bus that will go to that destination and the times it will next arrive at your departure point. If more than one route is necessary and you need to transfer at Federal Station, this will also be shown, with a clear indication of the new bus’s route number and when it will depart. - Receive a text message when your bus is near
Tell the myStop Mobile app the route you’re planning to travel (inbound or outbound), the stop nearest you and the amount of advance notice you want to receive. You’ll get a text or an email to let you know your bus will arrive soon.
Go to the iPhone App Store or Google Play for Android to download the free myStop Mobile App. You can also find all of these same myStop services right on the home page of the WRTA website.
Free Rides on Fixed Routes February 14 for Ohio Loves Transit Day!
WRTA will be part of a statewide celebration of public transportation in Ohio on February 14.
Valentine’s Day has been designated as “Ohio Loves Transit Day,” and WRTA will mark the occasion by offering free rides on all of the fixed routes in the system.
Over three million Ohioans rely on public transportation every weekday — and WRTA riders are a significant part of this group. They use WRTA to get to their jobs, for medical appointments, to buy groceries and to visit family and friends. In addition, over 40 percent of WRTA riders are persons with disabilities, while many others don’t own a vehicle and have no other means of transportation.
WRTA is important even to those who don’t use the service personally. It is a vital part of the local economy, in that area retailers benefit from customers who otherwise would have no way of patronizing their places of business. Also, WRTA makes it possible for more people to hold a steady job and therefore pay taxes. In fact, it’s estimated that every dollar invested in public transit generates four dollars to Ohio’s economy.
WRTA’s fixed route buses will operate from approximately 6:00 am to 6:00 pm on Ohio Loves Transit Day. Nightline routes operate as late as midnight. All rides on each of these fixed routes will be free on February 14. See this page for route and schedule information.
