TARTA returns to seven-day service

March 25, 2022

TARTA has not operated Sunday service since 2019 and its return fulfills a promise the agency made to the community when its ballot initiative passed in November 2021.

Mischa Wanek-Libman

From left: Toledo NAACP President Rev. Willie Perryman, TARTA Board of Trustees Vice President Mary Morrison, TARTA CEO Laura Koprowski (at podium), TARTA Board of Trustees President Kelsie Hoagland and Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce Vice President Sara Swisher.

The Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) will start Sunday and holiday service beginning March 27, marking the first time since 2019 the authority has been able to provide seven-day service.

A commitment to returning service on Sundays and holidays was a component to Issue 12, a successfully passed ballot initiative that will institute a sales tax to help fund TARTA. The half-cent sales tax will go into effect later in 2022 and TARTA plans a network redesign later in the year, but the return of Sunday and holiday service has been accelerated as it was the top customer request.

“When we had the successful ballot initiative in November, we promised to the community that Sunday and holiday service would be returned,” said TARTA CEO Laura Koprowski. “It was critical to us to do that as soon as possible.”

At a press conference March 24, Koprowski was joined by several of the authority’s board of trustees and community stakeholders from the Toledo NAACP and Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the return of Sunday and holiday service as part of the authority’s round of Spring Service Changes.

“We know how much this community needs to get to work, people work seven days a week, we certainly learned that during the pandemic,” said Koprowski. “But it’s about all those other things that are so important in life: Going to church, visiting with friends, family [and] Sundays at the park.”

Koprowski also acknowledged the dedication of the TARTA team for which the new service would not have been possible.

Sara Swisher, vice president of the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce noted the city’s businesses, like many others in the nation, are challenged with retaining employees and recognized access to seven-day a week transportation can be a solution.

“A modern, efficient, public transit system helps remove barriers that often prevent employment opportunities for individuals,” said Swisher.

Looking to the future of transit in the area, which will begin with a comprehensive operational analysis dubbed TARTA Next, Toledo NAACP President Rev. Willie Perryman added the groups he represents are not only excited to see service return on Sundays, but for the vision represented in TARTA Next.

“If TARTA Next is anywhere where the current progress has taken us to this point that Toledo, Lucas County and its suburban communities will entertain one of the best transportation systems in the country,” said Rev. Perryman.

About the Author

Mischa Wanek-Libman | Editor in Chief

Mischa Wanek-Libman serves as editor in chief of Mass Transit magazine. She is responsible for developing and maintaining the magazine’s editorial direction and is based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Wanek-Libman has spent more than 20 years covering transportation issues including construction projects and engineering challenges for various commuter railroads and transit agencies. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.

She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and serves as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.

She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a major in magazine journalism and a minor in business management.