Last Chance to Ride the Holiday Bus: First Night New Year’s Eve
The WRTA Holiday Bus will make its final appearance this year at the First Night Youngstown celebration on New Year’s Eve. Along with a regular WRTA bus, it will carry passengers between events from 4:00 pm till just after midnight. There will be no charge for rides on either bus.
First Night events are scheduled for several locations in downtown Youngstown, including the Covelli Centre, as well as along Wick Avenue and on the YSU campus. The buses will make continuous runs in both directions between the venues.
The Holiday Bus, sponsored by First National Bank, brightened the holidays for thousands of riders this season, as it traveled every daytime route in the WRTA system at least once. Look for the Holiday Bus to return in December 2o18!
WRTA Holiday Bus Makes Its Debut at Boardman Library Event
The holiday spirit was definitely in the air as the WRTA Holiday Bus made its first appearance at the Boardman Branch of the Public Library of Mahoning County on December 13.
The festively decorated bus pulled into the parking lot with driver Howdy Divelbiss and WRTA Director of Transportation Judy Rodriguez dressed for the occasion. Kids and their parents got to visit with Santa and receive gift bags courtesy of the Library.
As WRTA Executive Director Jim Ferraro noted, “The Holiday Bus is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the voters who supported our recent Sales Tax issue, which will allow us to continue to provide transportation service to Mahoning County residents who need WRTA to get to their jobs, their doctor, and to shop for groceries and other necessities. We’re also thanking our riders for their continued patronage by making all rides on the Holiday Bus free.”
The bus will travel all WRTA daytime routes at least once from now through December 30, and Santa will be on board through December 23. Check the previous News story for a complete schedule.
The final appearance of the WRTA Holiday Bus will be at the First Night celebration in downtown Youngstown on New Year’s Eve.
Ride the WRTA Holiday Bus FREE! Here Are the Routes and Times
Between December 14 and December 30, the WRTA Holiday bus will make at least one trip on every route within our system. And when you see the Holiday Bus coming, you can keep your fare in your pocket, because everyone rides FREE!
The Holiday Bus will make its final runs in downtown Youngstown on New Year’s Eve as part of the First Night celebration.
Here is the full schedule (times shown are when the Holiday Bus leaves Federal Station unless otherwise indicated):
| DAY | DATE | ROUTE | TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | December 14 | 8 Market | 10:10 AM |
| 10 Belmont | 11:10 AM | ||
| 4 Steel | 1:40 PM | ||
| 11 Cornersburg | 2:40 PM | ||
| Friday | December 15 | 12 Albert | 12:40 PM |
| 1 Elm | 1:30 PM | ||
| Saturday | December 16 | 28 Warren Express | 4:40 PM |
| Monday | December 18 | 6 Fifth | 10:10 AM |
| 2 Oak | 11:10 AM | ||
| Tuesday | December 19 | 16 Buckeye | 5:10 PM |
| 15 Struthers | 6:10 PM | ||
| Wednesday | December 20 | 14 Mosier | 2:40 PM |
| 3 Wilson | 3:40 PM | ||
| Thursday | December 21 | 7 Glenwood | 10:10 AM |
| 5 South | 11:40 AM | ||
| Friday | December 22 | 9 Austintown | 3:10 PM |
| 12 McGuffey | 4:10 PM | ||
| Saturday | December 23 | 26 Boardman East Loop | *2:40 PM |
| 23 Canfield/Boardman Loop | 3:40 PM | ||
| 25 Boardman/Canfield Loop | *4:25 PM | ||
| Tuesday | December 26 | 8 Market | 6:10 AM |
| 8 Market | 8:10 AM | ||
| 10 Belmont | 7:10 AM | ||
| 10 Belmont | 9:10 AM | ||
| Wednesday | December 27 | 4 Steel | 10:40 AM |
| 4 Steel | 12:40 PM | ||
| 4 Steel | 2:40 PM | ||
| 11 Cornersburg | 11:40 AM | ||
| 11 Cornersburg | 1:40 PM | ||
| Thursday | December 28 | 14 Mosier | 9:40 AM |
| 14 Mosier | 11:40 AM | ||
| 1 Elm | 10:40 AM | ||
| 5 South | 12:40 PM | ||
| 7 Glenwood | *1:20 PM | ||
| Friday | December 29 | 9 Austintown | 5:38 AM |
| 9 Austintown | 7:10 AM | ||
| 9 Austintown | 9:10 AM | ||
| 13 McGuffey | 6:10 AM | ||
| 13 McGuffey | 8:10 AM | ||
| Saturday | December 30 | 7 Glenwood | 12:10 PM |
| 7 Glenwood | *2:20 PM | ||
| 5 South | *12:45 PM | ||
| 5 South | 1:40 PM | ||
| Sunday | December 31 | First Night Youngstown | TBA |
* leaving Southern Park Mall
Bring the Kids to See WRTA’s Holiday Bus and Santa Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 3:00 pm!
WRTA is getting into the spirit of the season this year in a new and exciting way with a beautifully decorated Holiday Bus.
The WRTA Holiday Bus, sponsored by First National Bank, will make its public debut at a special event to be held at the Boardman location of the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County (7680 Glenwood Avenue). The bus will roll into the Library parking lot on Wednesday, December 13 at 3:00 pm. — and it will be carrying a special passenger: Santa Claus!
Parents are encouraged to bring their children to the Library for this magical event. Kids will have the opportunity to visit with Santa on board the bus (his “throne” will be a seat in the middle of the back row) and receive special gift bags provided by the Public Library.
The WRTA Holiday Bus will be decorated both outside and in with all the festive sights and colors of the season, and holiday music will be played on board. Starting the next day, the bus will be traveling all daytime WRTA routes in Mahoning County from December 13 through the end of the year. And here’s the best part…all rides on the Holiday Bus will be free!
We’ve posted a schedule of the days and times the Holiday Bus will be on your route. You might want to plan a ride on the WRTA Holiday Bus when your kids or grandkids can join you.
The Holiday Bus’s final appearance will be at downtown Youngstown’s First Night celebration New Year’s Eve.
All the best wishes of the season to our WRTA riders!
[NOTE: Illustration above is an artist’s conception.]
Vindicator Endorses Issue 4 to Support WRTA Operations
In an October 22 editorial, The Vindicator gave its endorsement to Issue 4, the renewal sales tax issue on the November 7 ballot that will provide continuing support for WRTA’s operations. Here is the text of that editorial:
Levies for mass transit, children deserve support
Two days ago, The Vindicator urged voters in a half-dozen Mahoning Valley public school districts to support school-levy renewals at the polls this fall to stave off sabotage to their operating budgets.
But just as school districts cannot be expected to operate with significantly less revenue than they did four or five years ago, neither can publicly funded countywide service agencies. Two such Mahoning County agencies with solid reputations for quality service are making such pleas in this election.
Western Reserve Transit Authority, which provides a variety of mass-transit services in the county, seeks continuing renewal of its 0.25 percent sales tax, first approved by voters in 2008 and renewed easily in 2012. Mahoning County Children’s Services is seeking a 0.5-mill replacement levy for the tax issue voters first approved in 1983.
Both warrant “yes” votes at the polls.
The WRTA operates 21 fixed routes in the county six days per week as well as special services for people with disabilities, suburban loop routes for high-traffic areas in Boardman, Austintown and Canfield, plus on-call curb-to-curb pickup service for communities without regular daily routes.
In recent years, it has expanded its schedules and services. The authority, which drew some 1.5 million passenger rides in 2016, is a lifeline for thousands to ensure their mobility to places of employment or critically needed services.
Some of WRTA’s targeted ridership groups continue to increase. According to the 2017 Updated Coordinated Public Transit Human Service Plan prepared by Nelson Development Ltd. of Akron, the WRTA draws upon a base of 33,682 disabled adults in the county, 64,501 adults living in poverty and 9,152 adults without any access to a private vehicle.
A strong mass transit authority also enhances a community’s ability to attract viable economic development.
All of those assets are well worth Issue 4’s cost of one cent for every four dollars in purchases in the county. In addition, the loss of the approximately $8.5 million the sales tax provides WRTA would also result in the loss of millions in federal and state assistance.
What’s more, WRTA leaders have proved to be responsible stewards in their spending practices, having earlier this month received an award for another clean audit from the state auditor.
Five years ago, 68,671 county voters or 61 percent of the electorate saw the value in renewing the sales tax for WRTA. Given the growth in the transit authority’s outreach and services since then, we’re hopeful its margin of victory will be even larger this year.
Free 4-All Friday Is September 15!
From the very first bus of the morning to the final Niteline run, you can ride any WRTA Fixed Route bus on Friday, September 15 at no charge! That’s right, you can leave the fare in your pocket on Free 4-All Friday — you won’t need it.
It’s our way of saying “thank you” for riding with WRTA — and also a way to introduce those who’ve never used our services before to the many benefits of using WRTA to get to work, medical appointments, visits with friends and family, and more.
See you on the bus Friday, September 15!
PLEASE NOTE: This one-day promotion applies to WRTA Fixed Route service only; ADA All-Access and Countywide services are not a part of Free 4-All Friday.
Dump the Pump Day
WRTA will join with other public transportation systems nationwide to participate in the twelfth annual National Dump the Pump Day on Thursday, June 15, 2017.
WRTA is encouraging individuals to park their vehicles and ride transit FREE with a “DUMP THE PUMP COUPON” available:
* on Facebook.
* at www.wrtaonline.com
* on Twitter
* at Federal Station
WRTA will also have a Sticker available to register for the drawing. To obtain one, please call Customer Service at 330-744-8431 and it will be sent to you by mail.
Just present your All Day FREE ride coupon or sticker upon boarding the WRTA Fixed Route bus. Turn the coupon in on your last ride for the day to be eligible for drawings on June 29. WRTA will draw names for three 31-day passes and three multi-ride passes.
This Coupon is valid only on June 15, 2017.
(No photo copies will be accepted.)
No WRTA bus service on Memorial Day
WRTA will be closed and there will be no bus service on Monday, May 29th in celebration of the holiday.
We here at WRTA sincerely hope that you and your family will have a very happy and safe holiday!
Regular bus service will resume on Tuesday, May 30th.
10-Ride Pass Winner for the Month of May!
We’re happy to announce that the winner of the 10-Ride Pass for the month of May is…KRISTEN RICHARD!
To claim your prize, Kristen, simply go to the information window at Federal Station and present a valid ID between the hours of 7:30 am–4:00 pm, Monday–Friday.
Remember that WRTA will once again be giving away a free 10-Ride Pass each month in 2017. Simply like our page on Facebook for a chance to win! A random winner will be selected from all of our page likes each month. Winners need to provide a valid ID to claim their prize. Employees, board members and contracted employees are not eligible. You can only win one pass in 2017.
Be sure to share this with your family and friends.
(This is a promotion run by WRTA. It is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.)
Our Route Numbers Have Changed (but Not Our Routes and Schedules)!
WRTA has rolled out new route numbers for all of its fixed-route buses.
“Our routes and schedules are not changing,” emphasizes WRTA Executive Director Jim Ferraro. “All of our buses will follow the same routes and schedule times they always have. We’re simply changing the numbering system used to identify them.”
For example, the route formerly known as 38 Market will now be 8 Market, and the routes formerly known as 33 Struthers-Buckeye and 33 Buckeye-Struthers will now each have their own number: 15 Struthers and 16 Buckeye.
Riders with long memories will notice that in several cases — such as 5 South (formerly 35 South) and 12 Albert (formerly 37 Albert) — the route numbers are returning to ones that were known for many decades prior to the current numbering system taking effect in the 1980s.
According to WRTA Director of Transportation Judy Rodriguez, “There are two main reasons for this change. First, we wanted to simplify and clarify our numbering system. In some instances, the same route number was assigned to two different routes, and we wanted to eliminate any possible confusion.
“And secondly,” Rodriguez continued, “the new numbering system will tie into some exciting new technological developments we’ll be announcing over the next several months. These innovations will make it even easier to ride with WRTA by giving riders real-time information and updates about the status of the bus they plan to ride.”
Click here for a chart that shows new WRTA route numbers and their previous equivalents.
