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.

Metro threw out its dated map of where buses fan out across the city. Routes changed and frequency improved. Buses started running seven days a week and every 15 minutes where they're needed most.

The transit system was reinvented in 2023. Over the next year, Metro's rid

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