Perrysburg panel awaits TARTA input

7/8/2006

Perrysburg's ad hoc TARTA review committee expects to hear from the transit authority's general manager in two weeks about a plan for improving Call-A-Ride service in the city.

Last night the committee asked Jim Gee of the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority about making the hour-long route through the city shorter and doing away with scheduled stops.

Mr. Gee said he would consider the suggestions, although he thought the route needed some kind of schedule to allow Call-A-Ride patrons to transfer to and from the two fixed-route buses in the city.

He also said he would look into changing the rules to allow drivers to backtrack along the routes for short distances, after a resident pointed out that it was inconvenient to ride the bus for nearly an hour when going the other direction would be only a four-block trip.

The committee also asked Mr. Gee to review a postcard survey that it plans to mail to city residents at the end of the month, according to Phil Caron, a committee member. The survey asks residents whether they use any TARTA services and what changes would make them more likely to use it.