Leaders consider options for arena shuttle service

More people took the bus to see Tony Bennett and to the SteelHounds game.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- After several successful events at the convocation center, Western Reserve Transit Authority officials will continue to study various options for providing shuttle service for events there, said Jim Ferraro, WRTA executive director.
Ferraro said about 8,000 people rode WRTA buses Friday, the day WRTA officials declared "Free-for-All Friday" in celebration of the SteelHounds first game on the Central Hockey League team's home ice at the convocation center.
By comparison, the average daily ridership this time of year is about 6,500, Ferraro said. About 6,700 people paid to ride WRTA on Thursday, for example, and there were about 6,300 riders earlier in the week, he said.
Free fares
WRTA officials said they offered the free-fare day to celebrate the SteelHounds and promote the downtown. WRTA officials believe the fate and future of WRTA and the downtown are linked. The downtown is a destination and WRTA is the way to get there, they said.
WRTA dropped fares for all routes all day, including to and from the convocation center for the hockey game.
The final numbers haven't been tallied specifically for ridership to and from the game but, Ferraro said, more people used the bus for the Tony Bennett concert.
The SteelHounds announced paid attendance for the home opener Friday at 5,212. Kelly Dolan, SteelHounds box office manager, said seating capacity for hockey is 5,700.
Ferraro said increased ridership to and from downtown is good for downtown businesses and for WRTA. The last buses leave downtown Youngstown at 11 p.m.
tullis@vindy.com