On Sept. 22, Laketran’s Board of Trustees announced Laketran will be providing weeknight and Saturday local route bus and Dial-a-Ride service for the holiday season, as it has in the past three years. The extended service hours will operate from Nov. 10, through Jan. 3, and include a full day of service on Veterans Day, which is federally observed on Nov. 11, this year.
“The No. 1 reason people ride Laketran is to access jobs. We know that many of our riders are retail and restaurant employees who are offered later hours during the holiday season, especially to Great Lakes Mall where Laketran provided over 50,000 rides last year,” explains Laketran spokesperson Julia Schick. “These hours provide additional service to all our customers whether they use local routes or Dial-a-Ride and by operating on Veterans Day, our Park-n-Ride customers get an additional day of service into Cleveland.”
During holiday hours, Local Routes 1-6 will extend service from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weeknights and add Saturday service from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. every two hours. Dial-a-Ride service will operate weeknights until 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.
The extended hours temporarily restore services back to the levels Laketran operated before the start of the economic recession which resulted in significant losses in sales tax revenues leaving Laketran no alternative in 2009 but to reduce services.
“We want to be the link to employment and more opportunities for our residents, so we review the budget and if financially able we add these services for the holiday season. It’s great to see we’re able to again this year,” shared Kevin D. Malecek, Laketran board president.
