Ridership is climbing on the Metro buses in Akron, Ohio, after a major overhaul based on something often overlooked in public transit: listening to what passengers need and acting on it, according to transit officials.
Dawn Distler, a former bus driver who worked her way up to Metro's CEO, makes a point of riding a different bus once or twice a week. When she does, she talks with some of the 5 million riders served by the system every year.
"If we're not using our product, why should anybody else use it?" Distler said.
Metro threw out its dated map of where buses fan out across the city. Routes changed and frequency improved. Buses started running seven days a week and every 15 minutes where they're needed most.
The transit system was reinvented in 2023. Over the next year, Metro's ridership increased 24% — more than triple the national average, according to the agency. And they did it without an increase in budget.
The city's buses are critical for resident Tim Burton, a lifelong Metro user who relies on the bus to get to and from the grocery store where he works.
"The frequency is the biggest thing for me. Every 15 minutes is just incredible," Burton said.
Metro also started hiring differently, onboarding drivers like Robin Hundley, who applied with no prior experience driving buses.
"We can teach you how to drive a bus. We can't teach you how to be nice," Distler said.
In 2025, Metro was awarded the national mass transit system of the year.
"Being able to get where you need to go, having transportation to get you there — as far as I'm concerned, that's a civil right," Distler said.
Mark Strassmann