Press Release: GREATER CLEVELAND RTA MUST USE NEW FARE SYSTEM TO SPEED UP TRANSIT
Riders call on for improvements to transit system, including all-door boarding
Last week, in partnership with transit agencies throughout Ohio, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) launched a new fare system, EZfare. At this morning’s 9:00am GCRTA board meeting, Clevelanders for Public Transit (CPT) will provide public comment on ways to use the new fare system to make transit better. CPT is calling for system-wide all-door boarding: GCRTA must install fare validators at every door on every bus line to allow riders to board through any door to save time and improve transit.
“All-Door Boarding brings benefits to all riders in Cuyahoga County, speeding up every trip by up to 20%. But to make this possible, RTA must equip every bus with EZfare validators at every door—without delay or exception” says CPT member and rider Josiah Quarles.
As stated in RTA’s “Framework for the Future” 2020-2030 Strategic Plan, complaints of delays and slow service highlight the challenges of using public transit in Northeast Ohio. Increasing the speed and convenience of fare collection is a top priority for riders, and for RTA. One way transit agencies across North America are speeding up fare collection is through all-door boarding. Transit agencies in San Francisco, Montreal, Washington, D.C. and other cities have implemented or are implementing all-door boarding on buses.
RTA’s upcoming Transit Ambassador program is a perfect complement to the new EZfare system. With riders boarding and validating fares through any door, Transit Ambassadors can safely and efficiently check their fares. This also allows operators to focus on driving safely.
Watch this short video to learn more about all-door boarding:
Reporting on San Francisco’s adoption of all door boarding in 2015, Bloomberg says: “San Francisco’s all-door boarding program has been a big success… The advantages of all-door boarding are obvious: letting some passengers enter the rear door shortens the line at the front, reducing the time buses sit at stops.”
The combination of the new EZfare platform, transit ambassadors, and all-door boarding can speed up boarding on every bus, everywhere. If a rider has a smartcard or is using mobile payment, there is no need to wait behind riders who are paying with cash or who require operator assistance. In order to enable all-door boarding, RTA must install EZfare validators at every door on every bus. Fortunately, last year RTA ordered some buses pre-wired for all-door boarding but has not made any commitment or timeline to roll out all-door boarding throughout the transit system.
Riders can’t wait any longer for faster and more reliable transit. Transit service has already been cut over 25% while fares have doubled over the last 15 years. All-door boarding is one way RTA can start to reverse the transit death spiral and get more riders on the bus.
More information on today’s 9 a.m. GCRTA board meeting and streaming video link are available here.
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Clevelanders for Public Transit is a riders’ organization that builds power for affordable, accessible and equitable public transit in Northeast Ohio. CPT released their Fair Fares policy platform in 2018 calling to restore all-door boarding on the HealthLine and expand it to other GCRTA routes. CPT’s new platform, Ending the Transit