Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

Regional Transit Authority

A Red Line train at Airport station
Founded	December 30, 1974
Headquarters	1240 West 6th Street, Downtown, Cleveland, Ohio
Locale	Cleveland, Ohio
Service type	Bus and Rapid Transit
Routes	Bus: 37, Rail: 4, Trolley: 1, BRT: 3
Fleet	Bus: 391, Rail: 92, Trolley: 12, BRT: 40
Daily ridership	75,300 (weekdays, Q4 2023)[1]
Annual ridership	22,431,500 (2023)[2]
Chief executive	India Birdsong Terry[3]
Website	riderta.com

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, with a ridership of 22,431,500, or about 75,300 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

RTA owns and operates the

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.[5]

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."^[6]

History

The GCRTA was established on December 30, 1974,

Seventy-five Cleveland Transit System PCC streetcars were sold in 1952 to Toronto to be used by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). The last of the Cleveland PCC models operated for 30 years in Toronto, until 1982. Cleveland Transit also sold eight Marmon-Herrington TC44 trolleybuses in 1963 to the TTC.

In 2005, RTA began building a

As sections were completed, they were opened to traffic; the entire stretch within the project area was open by October 24, 2008[9] as part of its grand opening October 24–26, 2008.^[10]

In January 2023, the GCRTA announced the acquisition of sixty Siemens S200 light rail vehicles to replace the system's entire existing rail fleet. Twenty-four such cars will replace the Tokyu heavy rail trains used on the Red Line, with an option to acquire 36 additional units to replace the Breda light rail vehicles used on the Blue, Green, and Waterfront lines.^[11] GCRTA's S200s will include steps at the front right door for boarding at street-level stations on the Blue, Green, and Waterfront. Once the acquisition is approved by the GCRTA's board, S200s are expected to begin service in Cleveland in 2026.^[12][13]

Active Bus Fleet

List of bus routes

In 2023, the GCRTA bus system had a ridership of 17,707,700, or about 60,200 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

Cleveland State Line

In December 2014, RTA opened a second bus rapid transit to serve the western suburbs of Cleveland as well as a larger portion of downtown, including Cleveland State University. Cleveland State purchased naming rights to the route. The line carries a "55" designation, the same bus route number used by the BRT's predecessor.^[14]

All passengers must pay or swipe/dip their farecards on board the bus.

Only a portion of the line along Clifton Boulevard–from the western terminus of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway to Webb Road in Lakewood– includes a dedicated bus-only lane. However, the bus-only designation only applies during rush hours: with the eastbound bus-only lane active during the morning rush, and with the westbound bus-only lane active during the evening rush.

All outbound trips originate from the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center near Cleveland State and travel through downtown to Public Square before entering the west shoreway. Shortly after reaching the Lakewood border, the line divides into three sub-routes:

• 55: Travels down Clifton and continues to follow U.S. Route 20 to Detroit Road until reaching Wagar Road where it travels south to Lorain Rd in Fairview Park, continues to North Olmsted via Great Northern Mall before terminating near the Lorain County line. Rush hour trips travel into the North Olmsted park-n-ride.^[15]
• 55B: Travels down Clifton and continues to follow Lake Road into Bay Village where it follows Wolf, West Oviatt, and Osborn Roads west to Bradley Road before returning to Lake Road to travel east to its terminus at Wolf and Cahoon Roads.^[15]
• 55C: Travels down Clifton and continues to follow U.S. Route 20 to Detroit Road until reaching Crocker Road in Westlake where it terminates at Crocker Park.^[15]

The 55 base route runs 7 days a week from early A.M. though the evening. The 55B and 55C routes run Monday through Friday during the morning and evening rush hours only. B and C also travel to the Westlake Park-n-Ride.

MetroHealth Line

On September 21, 2017, RTA announced a partnership with

RTA has equipped all of its mainline buses with bicycle carriers. Each bus can carry two to three 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.

Funding

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.

CTS fleet

• 1946 Pullman PCC A11 (50) and 1946 St. Louis Car Company A12 (25) – all sold to Toronto in 1952 and all retired by TTC.
• Marmon-Herrington TC48-T5 and TC44-T7 trolleybus – ordered 49 in 1951 and 1952 and retired in 1960s (sold to Mexico City's Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos and since retired)^[17]

See also

• Cleveland railroad history
• Great American Streetcar Scandal
• Laketran (Lake County)
• Lorain County Transit
• Akron, Bedford and Cleveland Railroad

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cleveland RTA.

• Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
• Euclid Corridor Transportation Project Archived 2017-06-15 at the Wayback Machine
• RTA HealthLine website