METRO Regional Transit Authority
METRO Regional Transit Authority, also known as Akron Metropolitan Regional Transit Authority, is the public transit agency serving Summit County, Ohio and the city of Akron. It operates a number of local routes, and also operates one route into downtown Cleveland.
Akron Metro transports passengers to/from school, work, grocery stores, malls and jobs all across Summit County. METRO RTA's fleet consists of about 200+ vehicles running on diesel, diesel-electric hybrid and as of 2022/2023, two fully electric Gillig vehicles, compressed natural gas fuels. In, the system had a ridership of, or about per weekday as of.
History
Akron METRO was founded on August 1, 1969 following the closure of Akron Transportation Company four months prior.In 2023, METRO RTA restructured their bus network to prioritize frequent routes with service every 15 minutes and added more weekend service. By the following year, ridership had increased 24percent. The American Public Transportation Association awarded METRO RTA an Outstanding Public Transportation System Award in 2025.
Services
METRO Direct
METRO RTA operates traditional fixed-route bus service in Summit County. As of 2023, the METRO Direct system includes 24 routes including Roo Express and Grocery Bus, which serve University of Akron, and the Northcoast Express to Downtown Cleveland.Connecting services
METRO RTA service offers a number of connection opportunities to other area transit agencies.Greater Cleveland [Regional Transit Authority|GCRTA], a neighboring transit agency, provides connecting services between Cuyahoga County, Ohio and Akron METRO RTA. The two systems connect with two lines in Maple Heights at Southgate Transit Center, near the Southgate USA plaza. GCRTA does not serve METRO RTA's Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center.
PARTA, a neighboring transit agency, offers services between Portage County, Ohio and Akron, including service to METRO RTA's Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center, along with connections in Stow, and in Maple Heights.
SARTA, a neighboring transit agency, operates one hourly weekday and Saturday route between Canton and Akron starting at 6:00am, 6:45am and every :45 until 8:45pm. This route, 81 Canton Akron Express, connects with METRO RTA. SARTA route 81 also serves Downtown Canton, Akron-Canton Regional Airport, Belden Village Transit Center in North Canton, Ohio, & Staples on Arlington Road in Akron from both Akron and Canton. SARTA's route services METRO RTA's Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center. Effective in 2018, SARTA also operates a direct express route in the fall and spring directly from Akron Metro Transit Center to Stark State College in North Canton Ohio. This route is named the 88 Stark State Express and runs five times a day and services Akron Metro's RKP Downtown Transit Center Stark State College and Belden Village Transit Center respectively.