WRTA May Put Your “Valley Valentine” on Its Video Display at Federal Station!

UPDATE: We have had a very strong response to our Valley Valentines promotion! The 14 individuals have been chosen, and their Valentines will appear on our Federal Station video display. These 14 entrants have been notified. Thanks to all who participated, and Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours!

WRTA has come up with a unique way to celebrate “Ohio Loves Transit Week” in 2022. We’re turning the tables by asking our riders “Who do you love?” — and giving you a way to answer that question in a big way with a “Valley Valentine.”

14 lucky Valentines who submit the form below indicating to whom they want to send their love will have a huge Valentine with their names created and shown on the giant video display that looms 35 feet above Federal Station in downtown Youngstown. In addition, pictures of the winning Valentines will be taken and shared on WRTA’s website and on social media.

To be eligible to have your Valley Valentine shown on our Federal Station video display, fill out and submit the form below. 14 Valley Valentines will be chosen. Only one entry per person is permitted. Deadline to enter is Friday, February 11.

Be sure to indicate which one of the four designs you would like to use for your Valentine.

Design A

Design B

Design C

Design D

 

Submission Form

Input Sought for Coordinated Transportation Plan for Mahoning/Trumbull Counties

A new Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan (Coordinated Plan) has been developed for Mahoning and Trumbull Counties. The primary focus of this Plan is to identify transportation needs and gaps experienced by seniors, persons with disabilities and low-income populations in the two counties and determine ways to overcome those mobility barriers.

The plan includes an assessment of mobility needs and resultant strategies to meet needs for the targeted populations as well as the general public. The Coordinated Plan provides strategies to improve transportation services to meet these needs as well as maximize the efficient use of resources.

All members of the public are encouraged to review this plan and submit comments. You can view and/or download an Executive Summary and the full Plan by clicking the links below.

You can also view a document that has further detail on how the plan was developed by following this link.

Comments about the plan can be submitted to Lynda Conway, Senior Associate at the Delta Development Group, Inc. — via email at lconway@deltaone.com or by calling 412-491-5991.

The deadline for submitting comments is Friday, August 6, 2021.

• Coordinated Plan Draft Executive Summary
• Coordinated Plan Draft, 7-1-21

Free Rides on All WRTA Buses Continued Through 12/31/21

Free fares on all WRTA buses will be extended through December 31, 2021.

“We first implemented free fares last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said WRTA Executive Director Dean Harris. “While that situation has improved in recent months, the Valley is still recovering from its effects in many ways. We want to continue to make it easy for our riders to get to and from their jobs, to medical appointments, and to the many retail areas we serve in Mahoning County and the City of Warren.”

Social distancing on board WRTA’s large buses has been relaxed, and seats that had been blocked off are now available again. However, in accordance with CDC guidelines, passengers are still required to wear face coverings when riding all WRTA buses. And riders should still board WRTA’s Fixed Route buses from the rear door (with the exception of riders using wheelchairs or strollers).

The free fare policy applies to all WRTA services: Fixed Route, Late Night, Countywide and ADA All-Access.

Changes to Some WRTA Routes Will Take Effect June 7

As of Monday, June 7, the following WRTA Fixed Route schedules will change:

• The 11-Cornersburg route will no longer travel along Raccoon Road to the Wedgewood Plaza, but will instead terminate at Rulli Bros. on Kirk Road and then proceed east back along Kirk Road.
• The 27-Austintown Loop route will run a full schedule along Raccoon Road between Rulli Bros. and the Wedgewood Plaza, but will no longer run along Meridian or Kirk Roads.
• The 80-Lordstown Express route will be expanded to serve the TJX/Home Goods and Macy’s distribution centers as well as the Pur Foods facility in Lordstown.
• Two of the routes serving the City of Warren — 71-North and 73-East — are being eliminated and will no longer operate as of June 7.

According to WRTA Executive Director Dean Harris, “We regularly evaluate ridership on all of our routes, and from time to time adjust our routes and schedules in such a way as to best serve our riders while also operating in as cost-effective manner as possible.

“In the case of the City of Warren routes, reductions in state funding made it necessary to eliminate the two routes with the lowest ridership.”

The schedule changes will be reflected in the myStop Mobile app for Apple and Android smartphones, and will also be accessible via the Maps & Schedules section of this website.

Updated Policies for Riding WRTA Buses Announced

While some restrictions put in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are easing, others are still in effect. Here’s what WRTA riders should be aware of:

• Seating restrictions will be eliminated on WRTA buses. For social distancing purposes, some seats have been blocked off, but all seats will be available to riders as of Wednesday, June 2.
• Riders on all WRTA buses must continue to wear face coverings. This is consistent with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) policies that mandate the wearing of face coverings on all commuter bus systems.
• Riders should continue to board WRTA Fixed Route buses from the rear door, with the exception of those using wheelchairs or baby strollers.

If you have questions about any of these policies, please call (330) 744-8431.

 

Ride a WRTA Bus to Area Mass Vaccination Events at No Charge

Mahoning County residents have several options for receiving a COVID-19 vaccination over the next weeks and months. WRTA can provide FREE bus transportation to many of them.

Residents of the City of Youngstown can take advantage of clinics coordinated by the Youngstown City Health District. In addition to many smaller clinics at various locations, there will be a mass vaccination clinic held at The Covelli Centre on Thursday, April 1. Information and registration for these clinics can be found at covid19.youngstownohio.gov

Meanwhile, the Mahoning County Health Department is establishing a mass COVID-19 vaccination program for county residents in the former Dillard’s building at Boardman’s Southern Park Mall. A test run or soft opening will be held Wednesday, March 24, with additional clinics planned for Fridays and Saturdays in April and May. Information and registration for these clinics is available at www.mahoninghealth.org

Rides on all WRTA buses are free through June 30, 2021, so there will be no cost for residents to ride to and from the mass vaccination events.

TAKING A WRTA BUS TO THE COVELLI CENTRE CLINIC

The following WRTA Fixed Route buses can be taken to Covelli Centre:

• 5-South Outbound (leaves Federal Station 40 minutes after the hour)
• 5-South Inbound (stops in front of Covelli Centre at 26 minutes after the hour)
• 15-Struthers Outbound (leaves Federal Station 10 minutes after the hour)
• 15-Struthers Inbound (stops in front of Covelli Centre at 55 minutes after the hour)
• 16-Buckeye Outbound (leaves Federal Station 10 minutes after the hour)
• 16-Buckeye Inbound (stops in front of Covelli Centre at 57 minutes after the hour)

Riders who live in other parts of the WRTA Fixed Route service area can take their bus to Federal Station and then transfer to one of the above routes.

Complete schedule information for these routes is available on our Maps & Schedules page.

TAKING A WRTA BUS TO THE CLINIC AT THE FORMER DILLARD’S

The Mahoning County Health Department mass vaccination clinic held in the former Dillard’s department store in the Southern Park Mall will be served by WRTA’s 26-Boardman East Loop.

This bus leaves the shelter near the PNC Bank Branch between Market Street and the mall at 55 minutes past the hour. On days when the clinic is operating, it will travel to the clinic entrance (the south-facing entrance to the former Dillard’s) before proceeding to the rest of its route.

Riders can connect with this bus at the shelter by taking any of the following buses:

• 5-South (arrives at the shelter at 20 minutes after the hour)
• 7-Glenwood (arrives at the shelter at 45 minutes after the hour)
• 8-Market (arrives at the shelter at 5 minutes and 35 minutes after the hour)
• 25-Boardman/Canfield Loop (arrives at the shelter at 40 minutes after the hour)

Riders who live in other parts of the WRTA Fixed Route service area can take their bus to Federal Station and then transfer to the 5-South, 7-Glenwood or 8-Market buses.

Those who are leaving the clinic after their appointment must ride the 26-Boardman East Loop to the end of the line before it returns to the shelter.

Complete schedule information for these routes is available on our Maps & Schedules page.

OTHER WRTA OPTIONS FOR GETTING TO VACCINATION CLINICS

Registered riders who are ADA-eligible or 65 and older and are not able to or have difficulty using Fixed Route bus service can use WRTA’s ADA All-Access service. Mahoning County residents who live beyondareas served by Fixed Route buses can use WRTA’s Countywide service. Rides on these small-vehicle services must be scheduled no later than 24 hours prior to the trip.

You can call (330) 744-8431 to receive additional help with getting to one of the above mass vaccination events on a WRTA bus.

Take an Online Survey and Help Determine the Future of Transportation in the Valley

Starting Apr. 5, Buses Will Stop ONLY at Designated Bus Stops

Under a new policy that will take effect Monday, April 5, WRTA buses will stop to pick up or discharge passengers only at officially designated bus stops along each of WRTA Fixed Routes.

As of that date, riders will no longer be able to hail a bus at any location along a route, or request to get off the bus at a location that is not a bus stop.

“The primary motivation for this new policy is safety,” said WRTA Executive Director Dean Harris. “A rider is put in an unsafe position when he or she attempts to board a bus from an area where it’s not safe for a bus to stop. And when a bus unexpectedly stops at a location not marked by a bus stop, it can pose a danger to the traffic immediately around that bus.”

Every WRTA Fixed Route has bus stops strategically placed at optimal intervals, and each stop is clearly marked by a distinctive sign. As an added convenience, each bus stop is identified by a unique code. When that number is sent by text to 321-123, an automated reply will show the next few buses that are scheduled to come to that stop, and the times they will arrive.

There are several ways you can learn the location of bus stops along your favorite WRTA Fixed Route:

• WRTA’s myStop Mobile smartphone app, available for both iPhones and Android devices, shows the location of every bus stop on every Fixed Route.
• This same information is available on desktop computers or tablets at this page.
• Go to our Maps & Schedules page and click on a route. Scroll down below the map and schedule to see a list of all bus stops on that route.
• Or call (330) 744-8431 between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm Monday through Friday for information about bus stops along any WRTA Fixed Route.

“We’re asking that our riders begin waiting at WRTA bus stops during the grace period leading up to the new policy taking effect on April 5,” said Harris. “This will help to ensure the safety of all of our riders, as well as that of the traffic we share our routes with.”

Change to Warren’s 72-Southwest Route Coming March 1st

As of March 1, 2021 there is a change to the route the Inbound 72-Southwest bus in Warren will follow.

This change does not affect the times for 72-Southwest’s schedule, but the route the bus follows will be different. The inbound bus will no longer travel along Tod Avenue, 4th Street and Main Street, but will instead continue east on Market Street and South Street SW before turning left on Main Avenue SW.

As of March 1, the 72-Southwest Inbound route from the Trumbull Plaza is:

• Continue to second driveway
• Left at end of driveway
• Continue to Southern Blvd NW
• Left on Southern Blvd NW
• Left on Market St
• Continue on South St SW
• Left on Main Ave SW
• Right on High St NE to Park Ave (end of the line)

The map below shows the new 72-Southwest route.

Take a Survey to Help Determine WRTA’s Trumbull County Service Plan

Trumbull County residents, businesspeople and agencies are being asked to take a survey to help determine a potential new high-level, five-year WRTA Service Plan for the county.

We’re hoping to get as much input as possible from residents, businesses and agencies about transportation needs in Trumbull County.

Comments from anyone living, working or doing business in Trumbull County are welcome. We would particularly like to hear from agencies that represent underserved populations such as senior citizens, persons with disabilities, low income, veterans, minorities, and those who are limited English-proficient.

The survey can be viewed and filled out online using a computer or smartphone. Both English and Spanish-language versions are available.

Those who participate in the survey and provide their contact information will be entered into a drawing for one of four $50 Visa gift cards.

To take the online survey, please go to https://wrta-survey.civicmapper.com and follow the on-screen instructions.