Lake County, OH – On January 26, 2015, Laketran’s Board of Trustees voted to restore local, in-county fixed route bus service on Saturdays for Lake County residents.  The service will begin Saturday, May 2, 2015 and operate from 8:00 am until 7:00 pm.

Restoring local fixed route service on Saturdays was not planned when Laketran developed the agency’s 2015 operating budget, but by committing to purchase fuel with the consortium of five northeast Ohio transit systems in December, Laketran is now saving $581,000.  The fuel savings will fund two years of Saturday bus service.

To remain cost-effective, the restored service will begin operating Routes 2, 3, 5, and 6 with smaller buses until ridership warrants a larger bus. Route 1 will operate with a standard 35 foot bus.  Buses serving all the routes are equipped with electronic destinations signs, bike racks, pull cords and are ADA accessible.

Since the service cuts of 2009, Laketran’s goal has been to find funding to restore service to the community, which meant finding new, unique ways to fund the local public transportation service.

“While our traditional sources of revenue have been lagging or uncertain, like state and federal funding, we have been able to restore service through many new revenue streams,” explained Laketran general manager, Ray Jurkowski of Laketran’s funding situation.

Earlier this month Laketran restored Saturday Dial-a-Ride service with the assistance of a federal grant program designated to provide service for seniors and people with disabilities, but the grant only offers a two year funding fix.

 “While we’re grateful for the fuel savings today, no one is certain how long the fuel costs will remain low.  Given the uncertainty of state and federal funding, we cannot guarantee Saturday service beyond two years.” said Jurkowski.

For more information or give public input, Laketran will hold two public hearings about the restored service with dates to be set soon.  For more information contact Laketran at 440-350-1012.