FULL REPORT: Ending the Transit Death Spiral: A Positive Vision for Public Transit in Greater Cleveland
Cleveland, OH, August 31, 2021
Today, Clevelanders for Public Transit (CPT) published Ending the Transit Death Spiral: A Positive Vision for Public Transit in Greater Cleveland. The transit death spiral is a cycle of financial crises at a transit agency where fare increases and service cuts result in ridership declines, which leads to more fare increases and service cuts. Over the last 15 years, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) has cut service nearly 30% and doubled fares. In response, by 2019, half as many Cuyahoga County residents used transit as in 2006. This is untenable. Ending the Transit Death Spiral lays out the policy choices Northeast Ohio can make to break this cycle.
The Mayor of Cleveland appoints the largest share of members to GCRTA Board of Trustees, yet the death spiral has continued unabated under Mayor Frank Jackson. This cannot persist with Cleveland’s next mayor. CPT has reached out to all seven mayoral candidates to discuss how to stop the transit death spiral.
In the nation’s poorest big city, bus lines are lifelines for many Cleveland residents – 25% of Cleveland households do not have access to a car. CPT advocated for and won a bus system redesign that has resulted in the GCRTA’s NextGen system, which began service in June 2021. The new bus routes connect more people to jobs, but does not restore service cuts and lacks frequent 7-day transit service. CPT is calling for increased funding of at least 25% to increase the number of Cuyahoga County residents with access to frequent transit by 250% and nearly 40% more jobs within a 60-minute trip.
Sandra Williams recognized the need for more funding, “As State Senator, I brought home $33 million for transit and, for the first time in Ohio history, made state funds eligible for GCRTA’s railcar replacement. As mayor, I will continue the fight to properly fund public transit for all Clevelanders.”
Ross DiBello agreed that new sources of transit funding are needed now, “County-wide we may have to look at some new forms of taxation. We may have to tax parking to fund transit. What we want to do is make it more popular and more affordable.”
Ending the Transit Death Spiral recognizes that it is past time for us to reimagine public safety. While no one believes you should risk jail time for a parking ticket, the law treats transit riders differently. Under state and local law, fare evasion is a crime punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine. Basheer Jones agreed that this cannot continue, “Fare decriminalization is long overdue in Cleveland. Riders who can’t afford a $2.50 bus ticket shouldn’t be met with the threat of arrest and time in jail.”
As Ending the Transit Death Spiral lays out, there are many ways GCRTA, the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, local nonprofits and foundations can work to improve the public transit experience. These often boil down to the need to center riders in decision-making, which is why CPT calls for appointing riders to the GCRTA Board of Trustees.
This demand resonates with Cleveland mayoral candidates. Zack Reed said, “When the mayor shut down Public Square to buses, it took citizens like myself and Clevelanders for Public Transit to demand we open Public Square because riders were late to work. We need a mayor who understands the needs and lived experiences of riders and will appoint GCRTA board members who understand them too.”
Justin Bibb said, “Riders understand the pain points of our transit system better than anyone. As mayor, I will appoint trustees to the GCRTA board that reflect the real, lived experience that riders see day in and day out.”
Kevin Kelley and Dennis Kucinich did not respond to multiple requests to meet with CPT. Both candidates also did not respond to the mobility candidate questionnaire CPT created in collaboration with Bike Cleveland.
Ending the Death Spiral follows up on CPT’s initial platform, Fair Fares, released in early 2018. Since Fair Fares was published CPT has won significant improvements to transit in Cleveland including fare reductions of nearly $3 million and doubling the amount of people near frequent transit lines by implementing a transit system redesign. Ending the Transit Death Spiral continues to advocate for a civilian transit ambassador program, new local funding sources to expand transit service, equitable transit-oriented development, and systemwide all-door boarding to decrease trip times by up to 20%.