HapCap presentation: Athens transit ridership up, fare-free service extended through April 2027

Ben Zipf, presenting for HapCap, told the committee that Athens-area public transportation logged roughly 2,000,000 miles across services in 2025 and provided 506,956 trips citywide, with Athens Public Transit recording about 343,000 rides last year.

Zipf described operational changes to Athens on Demand that move the service away from one-on-one pickups toward grouped, shared-ride trips to shorten waits. He said the agency has applied for and won state vehicle grants and will add a 30-foot bus to its busiest route (line 3) and several smaller vehicles for on-demand service. Zipf said federal funding mechanisms reduced the city's local-match burden for five new vehicles this year.

Director Stone told the committee the city has budgeted for local matches where required and praised ODOT and FTA for vehicle support. Stone and Zipf said drivers, staffing and competitive pay remain a challenge for recruiting CDL drivers with passenger experience.

Zipf highlighted a sponsor commitment from AmeriHealth Caritas that will keep fares free for a year, saying the nonprofit provided $150,000, which extends fare-free access for Athens Public Transit and Athens on Demand through April 2027. "Having it fare free has been a game changer for a huge number of our neighbors," Zipf said.

Council members pressed for details on university support and grant conditions. Zipf said Ohio University reimburses the system 90 cents on the dollar for student/faculty pass usage up to $90,000 annually and that the recent transition to fare-free service produced an early ridership uptick (about a 17% increase shortly after fares were waived).

The committee did not take final action on policy changes; members asked staff to continue coordinating with social service agencies and the transit advisory committee to publicize fare-free access, and to track ridership and operating costs as the free-fare period continues.