This piece is part of a series highlighting transit systems across Ohio who are investing in the future. These projects were made possible through the record-setting annual investments by the state in public transit: $70 million per year over a two-year period.

See the other blogs in this series here.

Building on recent successes, including a system redesign that has resulted in an 88 percent increase in ridership, the City of Sandusky has planned a $150,000 investment that will seek to better connect workers to jobs and students to educational opportunities that leverages an exciting new public-private partnership.  

Recently, Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and Cedar Fair Corp. established a partnership to build the first college in the country focusing on Resort Management. That school is currently being built in downtown Sandusky and will be opening this summer. This new downtown facility joins the main campus in Bowling Green and BGSU-Firelands, a branch campus in Huron, in offering educational opportunities for students throughout Northwest Ohio.

With the addition of a downtown campus that will include dormitory space, more students in the Sandusky area are expected to take advantage of course offerings at the Firelands campus. To better link the Firelands and downtown campuses, Sandusky Transit system recently added its sixth fixed-route line, dubed the Orange Line. While this new line connects downtown Sandusky to the Fireland campus in Huron Township, it also includes a number of additional stops between the two areas, helping to bridge another identified gap in transit service.

The Erie County Economic Development Corporation approached transit planners and identified over 1,500 jobs that exist within a half-mile of the BGSU-Firelands campus. Many of these employers report issues with employee transportation to work. The establishment of the new transportation route between downtown Sandusky and the BGSU-Firelands campus will help workers access these jobs and employers retain employees.

Later this year, Sandusky officials plan to add other amenities for riders on all buses, including the installation of more benches at popular stops, enabling Wi-Fi on buses and launching an online fare purchasing system – improvement all aimed at improving the overall rider experience and at the same time responding to the feedback Sandusky Transit System has received from riders.    

This workforce development/job access project is supported by both the public and private sector, with partners including Cedar Point/Cedar Fair Corp., Bowling Green State University and the Sandusky City Schools, among others.

Not only does this project demonstrate a transit agency working to provide job and education access, but it is also a strong demonstration of how agencies can partner with local groups to benefit the entire community. To learn more about Sandusky Transit System, visit their website.