News

SARTA UNVEILS DETAILS ON REDUCED PROLINE PLUS SERVICE. BOARD TO VOTE ON REDUCTIONS TODAY

January 8, 2025

CANTON ‒ The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority’s new ProLine Plus service will come with some notable restrictions when it debuts next month.

The new ride-by-appointment service for passengers with disabilities will impact those whose origins or destinations are in Stark County and more than three quarters of a mile from a SARTA fixed route.

ProLine Plus won’t operate Saturday. It won’t operate before 7 a.m. and it won’t operate after 7 p.m. And rides are not guaranteed. Once rides are booked as much as four days in advance, unless there’s a cancellation, another rider seeking to book that route at that time is out of luck in getting that ride.

SARTA this week released details about the new ProLine Plus service, which starting Feb. 10 will be a reduced service from what many of its riders with disabilities enjoyed for decades. Those passengers with disabilities whose rides start and finish within 0.75 miles of a fixed route aren’t supposed to experience any changes or reduction in their service.

The changes — which also include eliminating bus operator jobs — are part of SARTA’s attempt to cut its operating budget by $2 million to deal with a recent drop in sales tax revenue. How much the agency will get in federal reimbursements under the incoming Trump administration is unclear.

SARTA’s board is expected to vote 5 p.m. today at SARTA’s Gateway headquarters in southeast Canton on whether to approve the new scaled-down service.

ProLine passenger: ‘Disheartening’

Jodi Broom of Plain Township called the reduction in ProLine service “disheartening.” She said her adult son, who has autism, uses ProLine to get to work and a program in Marlboro Township that serves people with disabilities.

Without a guaranteed ride, he often would have to use a ride provided by a private contractor and funded with Medicaid dollars. But it could take him an hour or more to get home in Plain Township as the service transports several clients in a van around the county.

“We’re not guaranteed anything. That’s the thing. If you’re not guaranteed, then you’ve got to always have a Plan B ready to go,” said Broom, the co-founder of the local group Sharing Solutions IDD or Intellectual Developmental Disabilities for family members and supporters of those with developmental disabilities. “My heart breaks for people who aren’t just (clients of the Stark County Board of Developmental Disabilities) but are elderly and rely on Proline, other people who are medically bound and they need some service like that. It always seems like they’re always cutting us.”

Lisa Parramore, a spokeswoman for the Stark County Board of Developmental Disabilities, said the change in service will affect about 20 Stark DD clients.

“We will be working with those affected to ensure that they have reliable transportation,” she said, adding that she did not yet have specifics.

Why is SARTA making financial cuts?

SARTA’s CEO Kirt Conrad said in November that the agency had to make cuts due to an unexpected slump in sales tax revenue in the fall.

Federal transit rules only require that SARTA provide paratransit service for people with disabilities in the area that’s within 0.75 miles of a fixed route. The paratransit in that zone must match the hours and days of operation for the fixed route. But SARTA is free to provide no paratransit or paratransit with restrictions outside that 0.75-mile radius.

Conrad said SARTA has cut at least 20 bus operator positions by not replacing drivers who’ve left the agency. He hopes to cut another 10 bus operator positions by attrition the next few weeks. But he didn’t rule out layoffs, which would require SARTA to pay for unemployment benefits.

Conrad said by cutting Saturday service outside the three-quarter mile zone, cutting service prior to 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m., not adding service once rides are booked in and cutting some fixed routes, the agency can save about $2 million a year.

He said SARTA now has about 37 paratransit vehicles out in Stark County each day. Staring Feb. 10, he anticipates slashing that to 20 paratransit vehicles a day, with about 10 vehicles providing trips within the 0.75-mile radius and roughly 10 vehicles a day providing trips outside the 0.75-mile radius. Each vehicle can seat nine to 12 people, depending on whether riders bring wheelchairs or other mobility devices on board.

“We’re still finalizing the number of runs that will be out there,” Conrad said about service between two points beyond 0.75 miles of a fixed route. “Once all the slots are filled, that’s it.”

Conrad said he expects SARTA would give those with subscriptions or regularly recurring rides priority. He said about half of ProLine’s current riders book service on a subscription basis. But he’s not sure yet if SARTA has enough capacity for all riders with subscriptions.

He said the first person who books, up to four days in advance, a particular route at a particular time, would establish a route at that time that would establish the options for those who book afterward.

What’s happening with SARTA’s standard ProLine service?

SARTA, which operates fixed route lines on Saturdays, does not provide any service on Sunday or holidays. Standard ProLine will still be available for trips from points within 0.75 miles of a fixed route to another point within 0.75 miles of a fixed route from 5:30 a.m. to 9:40 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

For standard ProLine, if someone books a ride by a day in advance for a trip that starts and ends within 0.75 miles of a fixed route, they are usually guaranteed a ride as long as within a set time of the time they requested.

Conrad said SARTA often had to schedule an additional five to seven bus operators to work on a particular day of the week, not knowing in advance if they would be needed or not, due to federal rules guaranteeing a level of service. By limiting capacity, he said SARTA can reduce the number of overtime hours worked by bus drivers who may not be needed if bookings are less than expected.

SARTA said the fare for ProLine Plus will remain $2.25, the same as for standard ProLine service. The eligibility requirements for having a disability will remain the same for standard ProLine and ProLine Plus.