Ridership is climbing on the Metro buses in Akron, Ohio, after a major overhaul based on something often overlooked in public transit: listening to what passengers need and acting on it, according to transit officials.
Dawn Distler, a former bus driver who worked her way up to Metro’s CEO, makes a point of riding a different bus once or twice a week. When she does, she talks with some of the 5 million riders served by the system every year.
“If we’re not using our product, why should anybody else use it?” Distler said…