Riders on that route also will be able to travel directly to Bowling Green, Findlay, Lima, Kenton and Bellefontaine. Additionally, passengers also will be able to transfer buses to get to plenty of other places like Columbus, Cleveland, Sandusky, Athens, Wheeling, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“We believe this will be a step in knocking down any barriers for transportation for people who don’t have access to a vehicle,” said Matt Bruning, press secretary for the Ohio Department of Transportation, which administers federal funding that supports the program.
GoBus has stops in 39 towns and cities, and last year the bus operator served more than 129,000 riders. GoBus uses 56-seat motor coaches that are equipped with wifi, a restroom and electric outlets at every seat.
GoBus says it offers round trips three times each day between Athens and Columbus; two times a day between Athens and Cincinnati, Athens and Cleveland and Columbus and Wooster; and once daily between Columbus and Van Wert. Ticket base fares run from $5 to $30, not including taxes or service fees.
The service receives federal funds and is administered by Hocking Athens Perry Community Action’s transportation division.
After the service expansion, GoBus will have bus stops in 47 of Ohio’s 88 counties. The expanded network also will have 32 university connections.
“One of the largest consumer groups is college students who often want to travel from home to campus and not worry about parking a vehicle,” said Bruning, with ODOT.
On its website, GoBus says it has not yet announced the timeline for implementing the expansion routes or the exact location of the stops in the new communities.
Greater Dayton RTA CEO Bob Ruzinsky said RTA expects to allow GoBus to use one of the existing bus stops on the Flyer route. The Flyer is a free shuttle bus that operates on a loop that stretches from downtown Dayton to the area by the University of Dayton campus.
“Our role is limited at this time, we do not have a signed agreement yet,” Ruzinsky said. “GoBus is very popular with university students in other areas of the state so we felt it was best to ensure a strong connection to UD and Sinclair.”
GoBus says the service was created to make it easier for Ohio’s rural residents to get to urban centers and other communities, in coordination with other transportation providers, like Greyhound.
Greyhound already has a bus station on Salem Avenue in Trotwood, and the company also has bus stops in Huber Heights, Springfield and Oxford.
Megabus, another nationally well-known intercity bus service, launched in the Dayton market in early 2023, with connections to Columbus, Chicago and several Indiana cities. But the company currently does not have a stop in Dayton listed on its website.
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