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University of Akron students, faculty and staff can ride free on Metro RTA.

(Metro RTA)

AKRON, Ohio - University of Akron students, faculty and staff can now ride free on Metro RTA by swiping their valid Zip Cards in the fare box.

The new MetroZip program, which began Monday, is funded by $100,000 in the university's parking budget, said Jared Coleman, director of parking and transportation services.

The University will pay Metro RTA $1 per ride.

All regular Metro RTA routes are included in the program, which runs through Aug. 23, 2015 with an option to renew.

For North Coast Express services, riders with a Zip Card will receive a $1 per trip fare credit. Summit County Accessible Transportation (SCAT) services are excluded.

Coleman said he was approached by transit and city officials in an effort to build ridership.

"Other universities have done something similar," he said. "We were interested in the concept."

The university offered a transit program about 15 years ago but not at the current scale, he said.

University of Akron students who are enrolled in six or more credit hours are charged a $170 per semester transportation fee, which includes a campus parking pass and use of the Roo Express shuttle.

The Roo shuttle has a regular route to Metro RTA's transit center on South Broadway Street.

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority in Cleveland has offered a U-Pass program for students at Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Art since 2001. All students are charged $25 per semester for unlimited rides on RTA buses and trains. Cuyahoga Community College students receive a free U-Pass.