The federal grant will expand Via Lorain County by increasing residents’ access to numerous economically significant employment centers, according to a news release.
The new funding tentatively will be used to expand service hours as to assist in the ease and efficiency with which workers can access numerous economically significant employment centers in Lorain and Elyria.
Extended weekday Via Lorain County service hours will enable workers in the existing service areas to directly access eight major employers that employ second and third shift workers.
Additional weekend service hours will create a new transit option for retail workers at major weekend employment hubs like Lorain Plaza Shopping Center and downtown Lorain.
The expanded service is anticipated to begin in mid-2026.
“I’m truly excited,” said Lorain County Deputy Administrator Karen Perkins. “I think that this will increase the amount of people that will use our microtransit service because we’re going to be able to extend our hours of service, and hopefully, we’ll be able to help riders get to their jobs.
“That’s a goal of mine to actually help the employers get their workers to work. And, just imagine, if this actually works, how that’s going to benefit the entire county.”
The county soon will release the 2025 performance results and insights into the microtransit’s program’s community impact, officials said.
The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program awarded the grant.
The program provides federal support for transportation projects that reduce emissions and alleviate traffic congestion and is administered regionally by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency.
Via Lorain County is an on-demand, tech-powered transit service that is designed to fill the gaps where fixed-route buses can’t efficiently reach.
Via’s intelligent algorithms match multiple Via Lorain County riders headed in the same direction into one vehicle.
Riders then are directed to a nearby corner for pickup and drop-off.
The result has proven to be an efficient service that minimizes lengthy detours while providing near-universal transit coverage in areas of the county that are not served by traditional transit.
Via Transportation, which partnered with Lorain County in 2024, provides the technology of the modernized transportation network system.
Cities and transit agencies around the world have adopted Via’s suite of software and technology-enabled services to replace fragmented legacy systems and consolidate operations.
As a result, Via lowers the cost of providing transit, improves the passengers’ experience while attracting more riders to use the system.
“Today, the Via platform is utilized by hundreds of cities across more than 30 countries to create public transportation systems that connect people with jobs, health care and education,” the release stated.
To learn more about Via Lorain County, visit https://city.ridewithvia.com/lorain.
© 2025 The Morning Journal, Lorain, Ohio. Visit www.morningjournal.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
