Geauga Transit has launched a program aimed at improving mass transit connections to work in the county. The agency held a ribbon-cutting event Friday to celebrate the start of Wheels to Work.
The $1.78 million initiative, funded by a grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation, focuses on assisting Amish residents and others who rely on public transit to access employment opportunities at local manufacturers and businesses. Geauga Transit is using the funding to create two daily routes: one connecting Middlefield and Chardon, and another along SR-422.
Ben Capelle, the chief executive officer at Laketran, which operates Geauga Transit, observed a notable increase in daily ridership during initial test runs over the past few weeks. He highlighted that Amish residents make up approximately 50% of the passengers on Geauga Transit.
“We’ve had six to eight people on the bus, or the normal number of passengers is around two to three,” Capelle said. “So, on top of increasing ridership, we’re also increasing it more efficiently, using fewer buses to transport more people.”
Geauga Transit used the ODOT grant to purchase three propane-fueled buses, the first in Geauga Transit’s fleet. The buses are expected to yield fuel savings of around 35%.
“It’s 97% an American-made fuel and then it’s also about 98% more emissions friendly,” Capelle said. “It’s not often you can say this is good for the environment, good for the wallet and it’s American made.”
Capelle also believes that the Wheels to Work program will lead to an increase in employment in Geauga County, providing companies with the workforce they need to grow over time.
“One of the things we hear from Geauga County employers is they can’t find enough people to do the work,” Capelle said. "And so, in this case, there’s a group of people waiting to get to work via the Amish and us connecting those employers to that workforce.”