The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Ohio’s public transit systems are partnering to create a long-term strategy to meet the needs of current and future urban and rural transit riders. Strategies may include efforts to create more efficient demand response services in rural areas, to more frequent bus service in larger cities.

The Ohio Statewide Transit Needs Study will examine Ohio’s demographics and travel trends to determine the types of services needed to meet future customer needs. ODOT also will conduct a comprehensive financial analysis to determine how to meet those needs.

A survey associated with the study began as of the last week of October and went until mid-November. The survey is targeted toward people who currently use transit and will be administered with assistance from the 61 transit providers across the state. The survey asked riders about their experiences riding public transit today, and sought their input on what areas could be improved.

“The rider survey is just the first step of our public outreach and technical effort,” said Marianne Freed, administrator of ODOT’s office of transit. “Our goal is to evaluate the unique transportation needs for communities statewide, whether it’s a large city or a rural county.”

A project steering committee, which includes a diverse representation of transit agencies, regional councils, environmental experts, chambers of commerce, transit union officials and contractors from around Ohio, will provide advisory input to the study.

The study, along with other information, can be obtained by visiting http://www.TransitNeedsStudy.ohio.gov.