Stark Area Regional Transit Authority
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| Slogan | Come Ride With Us. |
| Headquarters | 1600 Gateway Blvd SE, Canton, Ohio |
| Locale | Stark County, Ohio |
| Service type | bus service, paratransit |
| Web site | sartaonline.com |
SARTA, (Stark Area Regional Transit Authority), is the transit agency servicing Stark County, Ohio, a county in Ohio containing Canton, Alliance, and Massillon.
In addition to its regular line service within Stark County, SARTA runs one bus route (with multiple times) between Canton and downtown Akron, connecting to Akron's METRO RTA bus system and also serving Akron-Canton Regional Airport from both cities. SARTA's website has route and schedule information at http://www.sartaonline.com.
The main SARTA hub/transfer point in Canton was also the station for Greyhound buses. Greyhound stopped serving Canton in late 2005. Lakefont Lines currently operates within SARTA's Cornerstone station in Canton.
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[edit] Routes
SARTA operates 34 fixed routes as of October 2009. Service on Holidays and Sundays has been eliminated due to the economic recession causing a lack of Stark County sales tax revenue. SARTA is primarily funded by monies collected on sales of goods within the county. Currently, SARTA receives one-fourth of 1% ( .25%) of sales tax revenues.
Complete Route List:
Route 81 Akron/Canton Express
Route 81-L Canton Express Limited (Saturday only)
Route 102 West Tuscarawas/Massillon
Route 103 Gibbs/Plain
Route 105 Cleveland Ave/North Canton
Route 106 Whipple
Route 107 Belden/East Canton
Route 108 Market
Route 110 Sherrick/Warner (aka Cherry/Waco changed one year ago to reflect service area)
Route 112 Hartville/North Canton
Route 113 Harrison/Southwest Canton
Route 114 Southgate/East Sparta
Route 117 Meyers Lake
Route 118 Southwest Canton/Massillon
Route 119 Fulton
Route 120 Belden Village
Route 121 Navarre/Brewester/Massillon (ROUTE DISCONTINUED 9/06/10)
Route 122 Southwest Massillon
Route 123 North Massillon (Canal Fulton service dropped 9/06/10 route still serves North Massillon)
Route 124 East Massillon
Route 125 Massillon/Belden Village
Route 126 Northwest Massillon
Route 128 Massillon/South Canton
Route 130 Alliance Northwest
Route 131 Alliance West
Route 135 Alliance South
Route 136 Alliance Northeast
Route 139 Canton/Louisville/Alliance
[edit] Accomplishments
- SARTA won the American Public Transportation Association's 2006 "Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award" for bus companies serving 1 million to 4 million riders a year.
- SARTA provides extensive shuttle service for the Pro Football Hall of Fame activities.
[edit] History
On December 1, 1997 the Canton Regional Transit Authority became the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) and service to all of Stark County was established.
SARTA is governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees with the Executive Director/CEO serving as Secretary/Treasurer. The members are appointed to a three-year consecutive term. Appointments are made by the Stark County Council of Government, Stark County Commissioners, and the cities of Canton, Massillon and Alliance.
SARTA employs over 200 individuals. The position breakdown is approximately 62% Coach Operators, 10% Mechanics and Service Personnel (who service a fleet of 82 or more revenue buses and 13 non- revenue service vehicles), 26% Administrative Staff and a couple Part-time Employees and/or Interns.
Growth since 1997 -- As SARTA grew, satellite offices were added to better serve the county's public transportation needs. SARTA established three transfer stations and customer service offices. The Alliance Transfer Center was created to serve Northeast Stark County. The Massillon Transfer Center was created to serve the Southwest part of the county. The downtown Canton Transfer Center was created to serve the heart of Stark County.
The Alliance Transfer Center is currently located at 1 Main Street, but a new building one block from the existing station is set to be completed in 2007.
The Canton Transfer Center relocated from a trailer on Market Avenue South to 112 Cherry Avenue SE at the corner of Cherry Avenue and East Tuscarawas Street. Operation began on August 6, 2003. The new Canton Transfer Center was named Cornerstone. Approximately 200 guests attended the grand opening and ribbon-cutting program for the intermodal facility, located in downtown Canton.
The new transit center includes both an indoor customer service center and an outdoor bus-boarding plaza that accommodates 16 SARTA buses per hour. The 3,163-square-foot (293.9 m2) facility also provides interior and exterior amenities for Lakefront (previously Greyhound) through an occupancy agreement with SARTA.
The Massillon Transfer Center opened November 24, 2001 and is located at 41 S. Erie St. near the intersection of Lincoln Way East in downtown Massillon.
[edit] External links
- SARTA
- Lakefront Lines
- Akron METRO RTA
- Portage Area RTA (also runs Kent State Campus Bus Service)
