By Chad Felton | The News-Herald

50th anniversary, HQ renovation, new programs, services mark organization’s sustained growth

Laketran kicked off 2025 by celebrating its 50th anniversary and marking the opening of its $22 million renovated and expanded headquarters. The project added 37,670 square feet to the operations and maintenance facility, providing expanded dispatch and scheduling space, increased maintenance capacity, and indoor storage for 40 additional Dial-a-Ride vehicles — critical to serving seniors and people with disabilities.

The ribbon-cutting also coincided with Laketran’s anniversary, marking not only the completion of a major capital project but also a renewed investment in the agency’s next decades of service.

“Completing this renovation during our 50th anniversary made the milestone even more meaningful,” said Laketran Board President Brian Falkowski. “Our ridership and workforce have grown substantially over the past three decades, and this expansion gives us the space and infrastructure needed to continue delivering the level of service our community expects.”

Laketran CEO Ben Capelle added that the project was completed on time and on budget.

“This expansion strengthens our operations, supports our team, and ensures we can serve residents more efficiently and reliably for years to come,” he said.

Services, programs launched

Additionally, Laketran made “significant strides” to improve mobility and accessibility by introducing new programs and expanding services.

Over the past year, the transit agency rolled out several initiatives focused on convenience and flexibility, including Rides on Demand, a same-day service that allows residents to book door-to-door trips countywide through the Rides on Demand app, and the Sports Express service, which provides hometown fans with more opportunities to leave the driving to someone else.

In addition to transportation to the Cleveland Browns home games, Laketran now provides service to Guardians and Cavaliers weekend games.

Moreover, in partnership with the Lake County commissioners, Laketran launched Seniors on the Go, a program designed to help Lake County seniors stay active and independent by providing free transportation to senior centers, grocery stores, and social and recreational activities.

The program not only supports mobility, but also helps reduce isolation and connects residents to community resources, officials noted.

To improve regional access for commuters, Laketran introduced Park-n-Ride Route 13, a connecting Lake County to University Circle.

Weekend service improvements have also been a top priority, as the agency added Dial-a-Ride on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. while expanding Saturday hours for Local Routes and Dial-a-Ride services.

According to the officials, the changes were made in direct response to rider feedback and “demonstrate the agency’s commitment to keeping service responsive to community needs.”

Growing ridership

With the new services and programs, Laketran experienced significant ridership increases this year, as both Local Routes and Dial-a-Ride have seen a 16 percent increase in ridership trips comparing 2025 to 2024 ridership through October of this year.

Laketran’s Park-n-Ride service also continues to grow after a significant service change in August, with the Cleveland commuter service seeing a 20 percent increase over the same time period.

“After an in-depth public engagement process that included multiple surveys and public hearings this past spring, we decided to shift service from underutilized runs heading Downtown Cleveland to University Circle,” Capelle said. “There’s always a chance you’ll lose ridership with service changes, but our ridership increase shows that diversifying our destinations was the right thing to do.”

Falkowski said the impact on everyday life for customers is critical to their quality of life.

“Plus, roughly 87 percent of transit trips directly contribute to economic activity, whether connecting riders to employment, shopping, entertainment, or essential services.”

Transit: an IT industry

Laketran’s biggest challenge continues to be the rapid shift of public transit into an IT-driven industry, officials emphasized.

“Nearly every function we provide now depends on complex technology — real-time information, mobile booking and payments, fleet management, dispatching, vehicle diagnostics and the digital security layers that support them,” Capelle said. “Integrating these systems, maintaining the software behind them, and ensuring our frontline staff are fully trained all require significant time and resources.”

Despite that reality, Laketran continues to make strategic investments in technology, strengthening its internal IT capabilities, while collaborating with partners to ensure systems remain responsive, secure, and customer-focused.

Capelle added that the Rides on Demand software is a clear example of how the agency continues to push the industry to develop technology that meets customers’ expectations.

“We worked with our traditional Dial-a-Ride software developer to build an on-demand, same-day service solution because that level of convenience is what riders increasingly want and deserve,” he said. “Looking forward to 2026, another challenge is trying to unify services under a single-fare payment structure.

“Most of our services run on different software platforms, and getting all of these technologies to work together — while still modernizing and meeting customer expectations — is an ongoing balancing act,” Capelle added. “There is always a need to stay current, integrate new systems and continue developing software that supports a seamless rider experience.”

Looking forward

Laketran aims to launch an Airport Express service to and from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Officials noted that the agency is evaluating software options and will begin hiring drivers to initiate service in the spring.

“It is very difficult to find accessible transportation to and from the airport for people with disabilities,” Capelle said. “There are no accessible taxis or rideshare services, and we regularly hear from our customers who use wheelchairs that it’s a challenge, so we decided to explore ways that we could fill that need….we learned that the challenge exists for many families in Lake County.”

EZfare smartcards, transit vending machines

Laketran also continues to add more benefits to its mobile fare payment app, EZfare, trying to make the app more accessible to all customers.

“While most customers use a credit card or digital wallet to pay on EZfare, Laketran wants to make the convenience of the app available to our cash-paying customers or individuals who aren’t comfortable using a mobile device,” Capelle said.

He added that the agency will launch an EZfare smartcard for customers who prefer not to use the app but still want access to the app’s Tap and Ride feature.

With it, Local Route customers are guaranteed to pay the lowest fare, thanks to fare capping, as daily fares do not exceed $4 per day.

Along with the smartcards, EZfare ticket vending machines will be available at Laketran’s transit centers for customers to purchase tickets or add value to their smartcards with cash or a credit card.

Additionally, officials noted, smartcards will also be available for purchase from the vending machines.