Everything about The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority totally explained
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.
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."
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) hadn't 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
RTA is also currently in the process of 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 refined several times in its history, 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.
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
Effective
January 7,
2008:
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All Senior/Disabled cash fares, farecards and passes require passenger to show valid RTA Senior ID, RTA Disabled ID or Medicare card. |
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ADA certified Paratransit passengers may ride fixed-route bus and rapid service at no cost. |
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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. |
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All Day Passes for children are $1.75. |
RTA buses
Image:DSCF1871.JPG|A 2004 NABI 40CLF equipped with a bike rack.
Image:9400Flexible.jpg|A 1994 Flxible Metro D. These buses are CNG fueled and are the last remaining Flxibles in main line service.
Image:IMG 0050.jpg|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.
Image:DSCF1409.jpg|Added to the fleet in Early 1998,these NovaBus RTS "WFD"s were Cleveland's second and final order of Suburban style Transit coaches
Image:DSCF0227.jpg|Added to the fleet in the spring of 1999,these NovaBus LFS coaches are Cleveland's first low floor buses
Image:2108atWindermere.jpg|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 what year the bus is. Coach 2509 is a NABI 2005 coach. The numbers go like this:
- 63xx-67xx are Handicapped and Circulator Buses
- 91xx-94xx are the Flxible Coaches as of 5/2008 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
Further Information
Get more info on 'Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority'.
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