The Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority is committed to providing safe, dependable, courteous and affordable transportation services that help Portage County residents meet their travel needs.
PARTA Closes Kent Central Gateway Lobby to Public
Posted Tuesday, March 24, 2020 – The lobby of the Kent Central Gateway (KCG) parking deck and transit facility will be closed to the public from Tuesday, March 24 until further notice. Transit riders will no longer have access to the KCG lobby or its bathroom facilities. READ MORE
PARTA Closes Administrative Offices to Public
Posted Friday, March 20, 2020 - Effective Monday, March 23, the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA) will close its administrative office to the public. The facility located at 2000 Summit Road in Kent will remain closed until Monday, April 6. Administrators will re-evaluate the need to keep the building closed to the public at that time. PARTA employees will continue to report to work. READ MORE
PARTA Discontinues Fare Collection During COVID-19
Posted Tuesday, March 17, 2020 - Effective March 18, the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA) will discontinue collecting fare from passengers to facilitate social distancing for its drivers and transit passengers. Until further notice, passengers riding PARTA’s fixed route or demand response or utilizing ADA service will not be charged fare while Coronavirus COVID-19 prevention measures are in full effect.
“The safety of our employees and our passengers is of utmost importance especially during this uncertain time,” PARTA General Manager Claudia Amrhein said. “We are taking whatever steps we can to protect passengers and employees from the spread of the novel Coronavirus while continuing to balance employee safety and service delivery,” Amrhein said.
In addition to ceasing fare collection, PARTA will not sell fare media on buses or at its offices at 2000 Summit Road in Franklin Township and the Kent Central Gateway Multimodal Facility in downtown Kent. READ MORE
KSU bus service temporarily reduced
Posted Friday, March 13, 2020 - Beginning Monday, March 16, Kent State University (KSU) campus bus service will be limited to the 51 Campus Loop, 53 Reverse Loop and 58 Summit East bus routes. Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA) representatives, in consultation with KSU, have moved to temporarily discontinue service on the 55 Allerton and 59 Stadium Night Loop routes through Friday, March 20.
KSU’s spring break begins Monday, March 23. During spring break week, campus bus service will be limited to the 57 Stadium Loop route. PARTA’s off-campus fixed route and Dial-A-Ride bus service remain unaffected by changes to service at KSU. County bus service will run as normal. READ MORE
PARTA Safety Initiatives Surrounding COVID-19
The Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA) is actively engaged in efforts to ensure the health and safety of its passengers and employees during the novel (new) Coronavirus outbreak that has impacted many parts of the country. While the risk of contracting the disease is low, PARTA acknowledges that people may be feeling anxiety and concern about the safety of public transit.
Please know that PARTA buses and facilities are thoroughly cleaned daily, as are public areas of the Kent Central Gateway transit center. All hard surfaces of buses are wiped down and a hospital-grade disinfectant is sprayed throughout each bus. PARTA also provides alcohol-based hand sanitizer stations on every bus and throughout its buildings for use by passengers and employees. READ MORE
