Mar 4, 2016
A copy of the presentation to be given at this series of meetings is available here.
CLEVELAND -- On March 21, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) begins a series of public meetings to gather comments about proposed fare increases for buses, trains and Paratransit, as well as proposed service modifications.
“These proposals will affect every customer, and we want to hear from you,” said Joe Calabrese, RTA CEO and General Manager. “By law, we must balance our budget. To be good stewards of public money, we must look at all possible alternatives. Your comments will help guide our final decision, which will be made April 26 by the Board of Trustees.”
Calabrese said that RTA needs to close a $7 million gap in the 2016 operating budget, passed by the Board in December. He blamed part of the problem on weak transit funding by the State.
At the public meetings, customers will be asked to comment on modifications to a number of routes being considered for full or partial cuts. RTA’s goal is to impact the least number of customers. Modifications to these routes will impact less than 2 percent of RTA’s current customers.
Staff will also present several options for a bus/train fare increase. Fares have not been increased in 7 years. The proposed fare ranges are:
CASH FARE | |||||||||
| Bus/Rapid/BRT | Park-N-Ride | Senior/Disabled | Student | Paratransit | |||||
| Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed |
| $2.25 | $2.50 - $2.75 | $2.50 | $2.75 - $3.25 | $1.00 | $1.25 - $1.35 | $1.50 | $1.75 - $2.00 | $2.25 | $3.50 - $5.00 |
ALL-DAY PASS | |||
| Individual | Senior/Disabled/Child | ||
| Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed |
| $5.00 | $5.50 - $6.00 | $2.50 | $2.75 - $3.00 |
FARECARDS / PASSES | |||||||
| 5-Ride | |||||||
| Bus/Rapid/BRT | Park-N-Ride | Senior/Disabled | Paratransit* | ||||
| Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed |
| $11.25 | $12.50 - $13.75 | $12.50 | $13.75 - $16.25 | $5.00 | $6.25 - $7.25 | $11.25 | $17.50 - $25.00 |
| 7-Day | |||||||
| Bus/Rapid/BRT | Park-N-Ride | Senior/Disabled | Paratransit* | ||||
| Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed |
| $22.50 | $25.00 - $27.50 | $25.00 | $27.50 - $32.50 | $10.00 | $12.50 - $13.50 | $22.50 | $35.00 - $50.00 |
MONTHLY PASSES | |||||||
| Bus/Rapid/BRT | Park-N-Ride | Senior/Disabled | Paratransit* | ||||
| Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed | Current | Proposed |
| $85.00 | $95.00 - $105.00 | $95.00 | $105 - $123.50 | $38.00 | $48.00 - $51.30 | $85.00 | $133.00 - $190.00 |
*Proposed Paratransit farecard & pass prices reflect an increase in the base Paratransit fare
RTA is considering three Paratransit proposals:
- Fares may rise from the current $2.25 per ride to $3.50 per ride.
- ADA customers may no longer ride regular buses and trains for free.
- Personal Care Attendants may pay the regular fare on buses and trains.
Service changes will likely take effect in August. The proposed changes are as follows:
| Discontinue Segment of Route | Modify Day/Time of Route | Discontinue Entire Route |
|---|---|---|
| #7: Monticello - Euclid Hts, east of Richmond Rd | Waterfront Line: discontinue after 7:00pm eastbound trip, every evening except for Browns games | #2: East 79th |
| #32: Cedar, east of David Myers Parkway and I-271 | Green Line: discontinue after 8:00pm eastbound trip, every evening except for Browns games | #43: Lake - Wolf |
| #34: E. 200 - Green, south of Shaker Blvd/Green Rd. Rapid Station | #8: Cedar - E 116, discontinue evenings (generally after 6:30pm) and weekends | #239 Euclid Park-N-Ride |
| #37: E. 185 - Taylor, south of Severance Town Center | #77F: Brecksville, discontinue weekends | #751/752/761: North Olmsted/Maple Heights Schools |
| #45-45A: Ridge, segment south of Tri-C West | #86: Rocky River Dr - Berea, discontinue evenings (generally after 6:30pm) and weekends | |
| #78: W. 117 - Puritas, deviations to NASA Glenn Research Center & Wanda Ave. | ||
| #79A-B: Fulton, south of Memphis Ave. | ||
| #81: Tremont - Storer, deviations to Lakeview Terrace and W 7/Starkweather | ||
| Consolidate weekday daytime #68: Bagley and #86: Rocky River Dr - Berea; discontinue #68 in Jefferson Parkway area and #86 south of Bagley Rd; link Tri-C West to Baldwin-Wallace University |
Public hearing / community meeting schedule
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Media contact:
Linda Scardilli Krecic
- 216-566-5211
- 216-390-9605, cell