Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
| Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority | |
|---|---|
| File:GCRTA.svg | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Transit type | Rapid transit Light rail Bus |
| Number of lines | 1 rapid transit 2 light rail 90 bus routes[1] |
| Number of stations | 18 rapid transit 34 light rail 8,502 bus stops[1] |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | September 5, 1975 |
| Number of vehicles | 60 rapid transit cars 48 light rail cars 731 buses[1] |
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (officially the GCRTA, but usually referred to as the RTA) is the public transit agency for Cleveland, Ohio, USA, and the surrounding suburbs of Cuyahoga County. RTA is the largest transit agency in Ohio, providing over 57 million trips to residents and visitors of the Cleveland area in 2005. RTA owns and operates the RTA Rapid Transit rail system (better known as "The Rapid"), which consists of one heavy rail line (the Red Line) and two light rail lines (the Blue and Green Lines). The bulk of RTA's service consists of buses, including regular routes, express buses, community circulators, and loop buses. RTA recently released a revised master plan, Transit 2025, in which several rail extensions, bus line improvements, and transit oriented developments are discussed.
RTA has equipped all of its mainline buses with bicycle carriers. Each bus can carry two bicycles. Bicycles are also allowed on rapid transit trains (with a limit of two per car) at all times other than rush hour. There is no additional charge for taking bicycles on RTA.
RTA's predecessor, the Cleveland Transit System, was the first transit system in the western hemisphere to provide direct rapid transit service from a city's downtown to its major airport.[2]
In 2007, RTA was named the best public transit system in North America by the American Public Transportation Association, for "demonstrating achievement in efficiency and effectiveness."[3]
History
The GCRTA was formed on September 5, 1975 with the merger of Cleveland Transit System (a successor to the Cleveland Railway Company), which operated the heavy rail line from Windermere to Cleveland Hopkins Airport and the local bus systems, and Shaker Heights Rapid Transit (the descendant of a separate streetcar system formed by the Van Sweringen brothers to serve their Shaker Heights development), which controlled the two light rail lines from downtown to Shaker Heights. A month later, the RTA assumed control over the suburban bus systems operated by Maple Heights, North Olmsted, Brecksville, Garfield Heights, and Euclid.
The RTA had to undertake a number of renovations to the rail system, as the Shaker Heights lines (renamed the Blue and Green lines) had not been significantly renovated since their creation in 1920. They were largely rebuilt by 1981, and the downtown station at Tower City Center was heavily rebuilt by 1987. In 1994, a walkway and skyway was added from the Tower City station to Jacobs Field and Quicken Loans Arena, and the Blue and Green lines were extended to the waterfront area by 1996.
The Cleveland Railway Co. streetcars were sold to Toronto to be used by the Toronto Transit Commission. The last of the Cleveland models operated for 30 years in Toronto until 1982.
Euclid Corridor Project
In 2005, RTA began building a bus rapid transit line along Euclid Avenue from Public Square to University Circle and then to East Cleveland. This was originally to be a subway line running under Euclid Avenue, but the high cost of such a project has caused it to be reduced several times, resulting in the current bus rapid transit project. The Euclid Corridor project also includes a complete rebuild of Euclid Avenue from storefront to storefront, bringing with it new sidewalks, landscaping and trees, lighting, and a large public art initiative, that proponents of the project hope will spur investment in the city's traditional main thoroughfare.
The Euclid Corridor Vehicles (ECV) will operate in an exclusive center median busway from Public Square to E. 107th Street and transitioning curbside through University Circle to the Windermere Rapid Transit Station in East Cleveland, one of RTA's most highly used facilities. The ECV will connect services to the Red Line and other service routes. These low-floor, articulated 62 ft. vehicles are quiet, environmentally friendly, and served by a low-sulfur-diesel engine to power smaller electrical motors mounted near the wheels of the vehicles.
Naming rights for the line were purchased by the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals for twenty-five years. The BRT route, which will serve the two major health industry employers in Cleveland, will be named the HealthLine.[4]
As of 2008, Euclid east of East 14th Street to East 55th Street has opened up to buses and motorists.
Funding
When RTA was formed, the voters of Cuyahoga County approved a 1% county-wide sales tax, which constitutes about 70% of its operating revenue. This funding source has helped RTA maintain a higher level of service than other transit agencies in comparable cities, and it also helps RTA retain some degree of political autonomy. However, it also makes RTA unusually susceptible to economic downturns.
In recent years, RTA has undertaken great efforts to improve efficiency and eliminate unnecessary costs. These efforts have included mergers with the two remaining autonomous transit agencies in Cuyahoga County, the North Olmsted Municipal Bus Line and Maple Heights Transit, and the redesigning of its routes in the suburban areas southeast, west, and south of Cuyahoga County.
Fares
| Bus | Rapid | Park-n- Ride Bus | Loop/ Circu- lator | Senior/ Dis- abled* | Para- transit† | Out-of- County | Trolley | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $1.75 | $1.75 | $2.00 | $1.00 | $.75 | $1.75 | $3.00 | Free |
| All Day Pass‡ | $4.00** | $1.75 | ||||||
| 5 Trip Farecard | $8.75 | $8.75 | $10.00 | $5.00 | $3.75 | |||
| 7 Day Pass | $17.50 | $17.50 | $20.00 | $7.50 | ||||
| Monthly Pass | $63.00 | $63.00 | $70.00 | $29.00 | ||||
| * | All Senior/Disabled cash fares, farecards and passes require passenger to show valid RTA Senior ID, RTA Disabled ID or Medicare card. | |
| † | ADA certified Paratransit passengers may ride fixed-route bus and rapid service at no cost. | |
| ‡ | All Day Passes are available for purchase on all RTA vehicles at the farebox and at retail agents. They provide for unlimited rides on rapids, regular buses, Park-n-Ride buses, loop buses, and community circulators until 3:00 a.m. the next day. | |
| ** | All Day Passes for children are $1.75. |
RTA buses
-
A 2004 NABI 40CLF equipped with a bike rack.
-
A 1994 Flxible Metro D. These buses are CNG fueled and are the last remaining Flxibles in main line service. -
A 1997 NovaBus WFD RTS T80206. These coaches first ran the streets of Cleveland in December of 1997 with their CNG brothers in mid 1998.
-
Added to the fleet in Early 1998,these NovaBus RTS "WFD"s were Cleveland's second and final order of Suburban style Transit coaches
-
Added to the fleet in the spring of 1999,these NovaBus LFS coaches are Cleveland's first low floor buses
-
With 50 in all, these 2001 coaches are Cleveland's second order of the low floor NovaBus LFS series and will be the last time Cleveland will deal with NovaBus.
Coaches
RTA's coaches are numbered by the year of the bus. For example, Coach 2509 is a NABI 2005 coach.
Numbering system:
- 63xx-67xx are handicapped and Circulator buses
- 91xx-94xx are the Flxible coaches; as of May 2008, RTA is phasing these out
- 95xx-98xx are Nova Bus RTS coaches
- 99xx-21xx are the Nova Bus LFS series
- 22xx-27xx are the current NABI series
- 10xx-MCI Greyhound style coaches
See also
- Cleveland railroad history
- Great American Streetcar Scandal
- Laketran (Lake County)
- Lorain County Transit
References
- ^ a b c About RTA: RTA Facts. RTA Web Site. Retrieved on November 20, 2007.
- ^ About RTA: History of Public Transit in Greater Cleveland. GCRTA Web Site. Retrieved on March 10, 2007.
- ^ Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (October 1, 2007). Greater Cleveland: Best Location for Public Transportation in the Nation. Press release. Retrieved on October 6, 2007.
- ^ Clinic, UH pay to name Euclid Corridor buses. The Plain Dealer. Retrieved on March 4, 2008.
- ^ Riding Options: Fares. RTA Website. Retrieved on January 7, 2008.
External links
