Today, riders from Clevelanders for Public Transit (CPT) will be hosting a march and rally to demand immediate funding for frequent, affordable and reliable transit. Riders will meet at 5 p.m. at RTA Headquarters, 1240 West 6th Street before marching to Public Square for a 5:30 p.m. rally.
CPT is calling on the Board of Trustees of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) to act now and place a levy on the ballot for this November in order to reverse the region’s current death spiral by providing immediate fare relief and service restoration. RTA is losing $20 million per year due to a change in state sales tax collections, which will result in significant service cuts to an already inadequate and shrinking system. In order to reestablish public trust and reform the organization, CPT is calling for the levy to be renewable after five years.
Furthermore, RTA’s Board of Trustees has supported the longest-serving transit administration in the country while those who depend on transit to provide for their family, access medical care and to better themselves through education have endured rising fares and reduced service. In 2006, a single trip on RTA cost only $1.25. Since that time, fares have doubled while service has declined by over 25 percent. The result is record-low ridership of just 39.5 million rides last year — a decrease of over 30 percent in the past decade.
With RTA Chief Executive Officer, General Manager/Secretary-Treasurer Joe Calabrese set to retire in 2020, RTA’s Board of Trustees should immediately start the search for Calabrese’s replacement so as to ensure sufficient time and in order to allow a rapid transition to new leadership with minimal disruption.
Our elected officials must also be held accountable. County Executive Armond Budish must use Cuyahoga County’s appointment to place a rider on RTA’s Board of Trustees. Going forward, Cleveland Mayor Jackson, County Executive Budish, and the Mayors and Managers Association must place significant emphasis on future appointments to the Board of Trustees. Appointees should include daily RTA riders as well as experts in rail and bus operation, finance and budget, land use, real-estate law and environmental sustainability. This will allow the Board of Trustees to make better informed decisions, rather than approving staff recommendations.
CPT is calling on the RTA board to immediately reverse the death spiral by putting transit funding on the ballot this November. Residents of Cuyahoga County deserve the benefits that investment in public transit will create to move our region forward for all.