RTA Update

The RTA announced at its board meeting on March 27, after months of protest from riders, that bus fares are frozen for now. They had announced in March 2016 that fares would increase in a two-step process; first in August 2016, and again in August 2018. In August 2016, fares increased from $2.25 for a one-way ticket and $5.00 for an all-day pass to the current rates of $2.50 one-way and $5.50 for an all-day pass. In August 2018, fares were to increase again to $2.75 for a one-way trip and $6.00 for an all-day pass. However, pressure from riders stopped the second fare increase from taking effect. The RTA will now freeze fares at their current level for at least one year.

According to the RTA, it will use this time to study its future schedule of fares. One proposal would be to create a reduced fare for lower-income riders. Another proposal, floated by RTA board member Trevor Elkins, is to reduce fares from their current level back to pre-August 2016 levels, including $5.00 for an all-day pass.

In the midst of all these changes, riders also suffered substantial cuts to bus service in March, severely reducing the frequency of service on several bus routes. For example, the #22 bus that runs down Lorain (the fourth most-ridden route in RTA’s system, with over 1.5 million annual riders) was reduced to twice an hour in the evenings. Similar cuts occurred on the #14 Kinsman, #15 Harvard, #81 Storer bus routes, and many more.

Riders have endured blow after blow over the past decade. Indeed, RTA eliminated transfers on one-way trips in 2009. Frustratingly, as service was cut, many bus routes were also shortened, increasing the need to change buses, and making more transfers necessary.

At the time transfers were eliminated, the all-day bus pass increased to $5.00 – an all-day bus pass became the easiest way to travel on RTA’s system. Since then, the all-day bus pass fare increased to $5.50, causing all kinds of headaches for people scrounging for exact change: there’s no way to get change on the bus. In particular, low-income and homeless RTA riders are disproportionately impacted by the RTA’s fare hikes and service cuts.

The riders organization Clevelanders for Public Transit (CPT) is organizing a Fair Fares campaign to reduce RTA’s fares and decriminalize the act of fare dodging. Currently, not having an activated fare card on the bus is a criminal offense. Transit police are known to profile riders based on their race and target them for fare evasion. Recently, a Cleveland judge ordered them to stop checking riders’ fares, arguing it amounted to an unconstitutional search of the rider’s person.

If the RTA is to improve, riders need to organize. Riders interested in organizing should contact:

Clevelanders For Public Transit – clefortransit.org – 216-714-2164