MANSFIELD — Richland County Transit will again provide fare-free rides to and from Final Friday events this summer in downtown Mansfield.
The Downtown Improvement Advisory Board voted to spend $10,000 Thursday to help fund the transportation effort, which will be in its third year.
Jean Taddie, transit development manager for the Richland County Regional Planning Commission, said the project will cost $32,200.
Other funds will come from business sponsorships and local contributions ($8,125) and the Federal Transit Administration ($14,075).
The transit system’s trips from resident homes to the Brickyard and back are increasingly popular, according to Taddie.
“RCT’s door-to-door service provided 272 trips during the 2025 Final Friday service, a 78-percent increase over 2024,” she said.
“We (also) partnered with OSU-Mansfield to bring their Homecoming court and other students to Final Friday. With your support, we will continue to build on momentum in 2026.”
The wildly popular downtown music events are planned May 29, June 26, July 31, Aug. 28 and Sept. 25.
RCT’s Final Friday shuttle will run from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. with a service area that includes Mansfield, Ontario, Madison Township and Lexington. It utilizes five small RCT buses that are ADA-accessible and bike friendly.
“In the past couple of years, we have together attracted diverse residents, some including our riders who said they’ve never been to Final Friday before. We also had people that have never ridden RCT before,” Taddie said.
“We helped to alleviate parking congestion, offered residents an alternative to going through the construction on foot or in their cars, as well as providing that safe ride home.
“Some people plan to have some alcohol at the show or at the local bars downtown. This service gives them an opportunity to get home safely,” Taddie said.
Rides can be reserved in advance or on the day of the events. Residents should call RCT at 419-522-4504 to schedule pickup from home. Advance reservations are encouraged. Same-day appointments will be accepted based on availability.
Residents are welcome to schedule a one-way trip and can also schedule a round trip.
The DIAB’s contribution makes it a partnering sponsor of the project, which will include ads on the side of all five buses, an event banner and signs and inclusion on flyers, press released and social media posts.
Taddie also presented results from a survey taken with Final Friday riders in 2025:
— More than half (52 percent) called for their rides on Final Friday evening.
— Eight in 10 of the riders live in Mansfield. Eight percent live in Ontario.
— Nine in 10 were satisfied with the trip scheduling process.
— Nine in 10 were satisfied with the amount of time it took to get picked up.
— Nine in 10 were satisfied with the amount of time they spent riding the bus.
— 94 percent were satisfied with the cleanliness of the bus.
— 97 percent were satisfied with the customer service by the RCT driver and staff.
— 94 percent expressed overall satisfaction with the entire process.
— For more than half, (50.7 percent), it was their first experience with RCT.
— Nearly nine in 10 (88 percent) said they were likely to ride RCT again.
