Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, launched STORMGO, a transit benefit program in partnership with Laketran, to provide free rides on the Lake County regional transit system for the college’s students, faculty, and staff.
“Lake Erie College is proud to partner with Laketran on this initiative,” said Dr. Brian Posler, president of Lake Erie College. “Our Student Government Association lobbied for better transportation options, and STORMGO will open up access to our community’s businesses and nonprofits for our students.”
With STORMGO, students will be able to transport more easily to practices, internships, community opportunities and jobs free of charge. Faculty and staff may find free rides will provide some financial relief to the rising costs of goods, services, and particularly gas in an inflated economy. Students, faculty and staff will first need to register online and download the EZfare app to register for the program.
“We appreciate that Lake Erie College understands the value of having reliable transportation for their students and willing to make commuting to college more affordable through this partnership,” shared Laketran Board President Brian Falkowski. “This program improves access to educational and economic opportunities for students, as well as brings awareness to public transportation.”
In Phase II of the new partnership, Lake Erie College will be providing a new shuttle bus, operated by Laketran, for student transportation between the new student apartments in downtown Painesville and Lake Erie College’s main campus.
“With our new apartments being constructed on the square in downtown Painesville, we will continue to strengthen our ties to Laketran, Painesville and the larger Lake County community,” Posler said.
“It’s exciting to be part of Lake Erie College’s growth,” shared Laketran CEO Ben Capelle. “By putting a bus pass in the hands of every student, we are inviting them to be part of the entire Lake County community and hopefully they decided to stay in Lake County and work locally after their college years.”
