| Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority |
|
|---|---|
| Info | |
| Locale | Cuyahoga County, Ohio |
| Transit type | Rapid transit Light rail Heavy Rail Bus Bus rapid transit |
| Number of lines | 1 rapid transit: Red line 2 interurban/light rail: Blue and Green line 1 light rail: Waterfront 62 bus routes: 1 Bus rapid transit 5 Freeway-Flyer[1][2] |
| Number of stations | 18 rapid transit 34 light rail/interurban 8,557 bus stops including 1,332 shelters[1] |
| Annual ridership | 44.68 million[3] |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | September 5, 1975 |
| Number of vehicles | 60 rapid transit cars 48 light rail cars 492 buses 80 ParaTransit shuttles[1] |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Standard gauge |
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (officially the GCRTA, but historically and locally referred to as the RTA) is the public transit agency for Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and the surrounding suburbs of Cuyahoga County. RTA is the largest transit agency in Ohio, providing over 44 million trips to residents and visitors of the Cleveland area in 2010. 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 interurban light rail lines (the Blue, Green and light-rail Waterfront extension line). The bulk of RTA's service consists of buses, including regular routes, express or flyer buses, loop and paratransit buses. In December 2004, RTA adopted a revised master plan, Transit 2025, in which several rail extensions, bus line improvements, and transit oriented developments are discussed.[5]
RTA's major 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.[6]
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."[7]
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The GCRTA was established December 30, 1974,[8] and on September 5, 1975 assumed control of the Cleveland Transit System (a successor to the Cleveland Railway), 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 operated the two interurban 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.[6]
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 Progressive Field and Quicken Loans Arena, and the Blue and Green lines were extended to the waterfront area by 1996.
Seventy-five Cleveland Transit System PCC streetcars were sold in 1952 to Toronto to be used by the Toronto Transit Commission. The last of the Cleveland models operated for 30 years in Toronto until 1982.
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 maximum limit of two per car) at all times, although operators have discretion to refuse bicycles if a train is overcrowded. Bicycles are not allowed access to/from the Public Square/Tower City Station through the shopping areas of Tower City Center. However, an elevator connection is permitted between the station lobby and street level, at Prospect Avenue via the south-side doors. Bicycles are also allowed to transfer between trains at Tower City Station. There is no additional charge for taking bicycles on RTA.
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 caused it to be reduced in scope, resulting in the current bus rapid transit project. The Euclid Corridor project also included 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) operate in an exclusive center median busway from Public Square to East 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 ECVs connect services to the Red Line and other service routes. These low-floor, articulated 62 feet (19 m) buses are quiet, environmentally friendly, and served by a low-sulfur-diesel engine to power smaller electrical motors mounted near the wheels of the vehicles. A few of these buses have been ordered with a standard Allison B500R6 transmission instead of the Hybrid propulsion system.
Included in the project was funding for the integration of several public art components.[9] In addition to art installations and other aesthetic improvements, more than a dozen interactive touchscreen kiosks were placed along the corridor. Each kiosk includes transit timetables and RTA news, as well as audiovisual exhibits focusing on the history of Euclid Avenue and the city of Cleveland.[10] More than 60 historical sites, themes, and people are represented on the kiosks, which utilize oral history audio, historic and contemporary images, and brief historical essays to curate the city's history.[11] The kiosks were created by the Center for Public History and Digital Humanities in the history department at Cleveland State University and were designed by Epstein Design Partners in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
Naming rights for the line were purchased by the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals for twenty-five years. The BRT route, originally named the "Silver Line", which serves the two major health industry employers in Cleveland, is named the HealthLine.[12]
As sections were completed, they were opened to traffic; the entire stretch within the project area was open by October 24, 2008[13] as part of its grand opening October 24–26, 2008.[14]
When RTA was formed, Cuyahoga County voters 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.
Effective October 1, 2009:[15]
| Bus / Rapid | Park-n- Ride Bus | Loop/ Circu- lator | Senior/ Dis- abled* | Para- transit† | Out-of- County | Trolley | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $2.25 | $2.50 | $1.50 | $1.00 | $2.25 | $3.50 | Free |
| All Day Pass‡ | $5.00** | $2.50 | N/A | N/A | |||
| 5 Trip Farecard | $11.25 | $12.50 | $7.50 | $5.00 | $11.25 | N/A | N/A |
| 7 Day Pass | $22.50 | $25.00 | N/A | $10.00 | $22.50 | N/A | N/A |
| Monthly Pass | $85.00 | $95.00 | N/A | $38.00 | $76.00 | N/A | N/A |
| * | 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 $2.50. |
RTA's coaches are numbered by the year of the bus. For example, Coach 2509 is a NABI 2005 coach. Except the 9500s and the CNG 9700s, which are 1998 model coaches.
Numbering system:
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