ODOT wouldn't necessarily fight it. But the highway lobbyists would probably lie down in front of trains paid for with gas taxes to stop them. So I say enjoy your siesta, dear Ohio Contractors Association, AAA, Ohio Trucking Association, Ohio Petroleum Marketers Association, and Buckeye Policy Institute!

I'm having a hard time understanding why RTA's cost structure makes it impossible to cover the cost of operating a full bus.  Fuel costs, adjusted for inflation, are not dramatically higher than in the past.  Yes, subsidies from the sales tax are down, but why does a line like the 39, or any other line that carries 60+ riders per trip, need to be subsidized in the first place?  Isn't this evidence that RTA's cost structure is unsustainably high?

I'm having a hard time understanding why RTA's cost structure makes it impossible to cover the cost of operating a full bus. Fuel costs, adjusted for inflation, are not dramatically higher than in the past. Yes, subsidies from the sales tax are down, but why does a line like the 39, or any other line that carries 60+ riders per trip, need to be subsidized in the first place? Isn't this evidence that RTA's cost structure is unsustainably high?

 

Every transit system in the country is publicly subsidized.  This is not a problem unique to RTA, or its business model.

I'm having a hard time understanding why RTA's cost structure makes it impossible to cover the cost of operating a full bus. Fuel costs, adjusted for inflation, are not dramatically higher than in the past. Yes, subsidies from the sales tax are down, but why does a line like the 39, or any other line that carries 60+ riders per trip, need to be subsidized in the first place? Isn't this evidence that RTA's cost structure is unsustainably high?

 

Someone else might be more eloquent, but think about that for a moment.  Fuel costs might not be the biggest expense.  How much does a bus cost?  $120,000?  How long does it last, 10 years?  Some portion of that cost (including any interest if bought on credit, plus maintenance costs - cleaning personnel and mechanics and shop and nighttime parking included) have to come from the fares.  I imagine brakes and tires don't last as long on a bus as on your car, given the extra weight and constant start/stop operation.  Plus your driver gets what, $10 an hour, plus some retirement, health insurance, employment tax, etc. that work out to actual costs over $20 per hour just for the driver.  Your 60+ riders, even at $3 per trip, only bring in $180 per trip.  The bus might be full on the way downtown in the morning, but practically empty on its way back out of downtown.  And how many full trips will you get in 24 hours, even on a busy route?  So your average revenue on your best lines might only be $90 an hour.  What about advertising, printing schedules and tickets, maintaining bus stops, maintaining ticket machines, maintaining capacity for special events, etc.? It seems like there are a lot of "hidden" expenses in running a transit system, and I'm probably missing some important ones.

 

I don't have all the information but the numbers don't seem to add up to fares alone covering all the necessary expenses. 

I don't have all the information but the numbers don't seem to add up to fares alone covering all the necessary expenses.

 

They only account for 20% of revenue.

I don't have all the information but the numbers don't seem to add up to fares alone covering all the necessary expenses.

 

They only account for 20% of revenue.

 

And I think the larger point that is trying to be made is that even the busiest lines may not be able to operate on fare revenue alone. 

I'm having a hard time understanding why RTA's cost structure makes it impossible to cover the cost of operating a full bus. Fuel costs, adjusted for inflation, are not dramatically higher than in the past. Yes, subsidies from the sales tax are down, but why does a line like the 39, or any other line that carries 60+ riders per trip, need to be subsidized in the first place? Isn't this evidence that RTA's cost structure is unsustainably high?

 

Someone else might be more eloquent, but think about that for a moment. Fuel costs might not be the biggest expense. How much does a bus cost? $120,000? How long does it last, 10 years? Some portion of that cost (including any interest if bought on credit, plus maintenance costs - cleaning personnel and mechanics and shop and nighttime parking included) have to come from the fares. I imagine brakes and tires don't last as long on a bus as on your car, given the extra weight and constant start/stop operation.   Plus your driver gets what, $10 an hour, plus some retirement, health insurance, employment tax, etc. that work out to actual costs over $20 per hour just for the driver. Your 60+ riders, even at $3 per trip, only bring in $180 per trip.   The bus might be full on the way downtown in the morning, but practically empty on its way back out of downtown. And how many full trips will you get in 24 hours, even on a busy route? So your average revenue on your best lines might only be $90 an hour. What about advertising, printing schedules and tickets, maintaining bus stops, maintaining ticket machines, maintaining capacity for special events, etc.? It seems like there are a lot of "hidden" expenses in running a transit system, and I'm probably missing some important ones.

 

I don't have all the information but the numbers don't seem to add up to fares alone covering all the necessary expenses.

 

Foraker:

 

I think you presented the situation just fine, and your presentation belies a "big-picture" understanding of transit economics far greater than that of most people. THANK YOU!

Is GCRTA's fare recovery percentage in line with other comparable transit systems inside (and outside) the U.S.?  What about its labor costs?  I think those answers would be illuminating.  My understanding is that the former is unusually low, and the latter unusually high, and if either of those things are true, then they suggest a possible course of action that might not require eliminating transit as an option for most NEO residents.

Is GCRTA's fare recovery percentage in line with other comparable transit systems inside (and outside) the U.S.?  What about its labor costs?  I think those answers would be illuminating.  My understanding is that the former is unusually low, and the latter unusually high, and if either of those things are true, then they suggest a possible course of action that might not require eliminating transit as an option for most NEO residents.

 

APTA has published some info on fare recovery by agency:

http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/NTD_Data/table26_fare_per_passenger_and_recovery_ratio.xls

 

International perspective here:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/55CF12C9-9D4E-4762-A27A-407A44546BE2/0/TrasitFareboxRecoveryandSubsidiesSynthesisKTaylorFINAL2.pdf

 

More APTA publications comparing transit agecies here:

http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Pages/NTDDataTables.aspx

 

not sure about wages, but cost per service hour is somewhere around $110 for RTA.

Well...I am back...did I miss anything? Please know that I am only contributring from recuperating at home, and lack any knowledge of being at the office.

Jerry, I am pleased to see you are back. My editor spoke to your wife at church and said you were recuperating. Best wishes on a full recovery, my friend.

Well worth reading as this editorial also takes a major stance on changing the way Ohio's gas tax revenues are spent.

 

RTA needs state and federal operating support to keep buses in the drivers' seat -- editorial

By The Plain Dealer Editorial Board

November 29, 2009, 3:58AM

 

The numerous service cuts and job layoffs proposed by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority couldn't come at a worse time. Riders who still have jobs need to get to work. Riders without jobs need public transit to help find one. And no one wants to see bus drivers and mechanics laid off while Ohio's unemployment rate climbs.

 

But the grim economic conditions slamming RTA are painful but familiar.

 

Full editorial at:

<http://connect.cleveland.com/user/clevepdedit/index.html>

"To make matters worse, a constitutional amendment Ohio voters adopted in 1947 forbids any portion of the gas tax from being used except on highway programs. The amendment is outdated and ought to be changed. 

 

The ban may have been appropriate when Ohio needed to build highways, but it's no longer justifiable. In the 21st century, the public needs buses and trains to ease congestion, cut pollution and streamline travel while boosting jobs. "  PD editorial

 

Thanks PD.  Glad you read my UO posts.  :wave:

Thank you clvlndr, aka the "game changer"!

Wow, I took the rapid from Puritas today.  Am very glad they are re-doing this station, obviously it was desperately in need, but MAN, that was a lot of stairs, and I'm a healthy, relatively young woman.  I cannot imagine those steep, metal stairs being particularly safe once it gets icy.  I kept getting afraid I would topple over the side, but maybe that's some mild acrophobia -we were very high up! (For those who haven't been there, the construction detour includes stairs that were built to go up and over top of the trains, and then come down to the train platform.  Hurrying on the stairs could mean tripping and falling to your death, it was seriously scary.  And obviously not ADA accessible, but I'm sure that's a temporarly problem due to the construction.  I guess I'm posting this as a heads-up to anyone who might be using this rapid station, or know anyone using it - I wouldn't want anyone at all infirm, elderly, etc. trying to navigate here.

^ yeah thats definitely a challenging station to catch your train. Also, when you are coming down the steps you need to make a quick 180 to go to the platform and in the process you come dangerously close to the edge of the platform, even in fine weather conditions this can be scary. Props to the new farecard machines, makes for quicker boarding!

I realize many of you don't read the Lorain County Transit thread. I encourage you to do so today as some news there is likely a harbinger of things to come for all Ohio counties:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=16502.msg444095#msg444095

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but in a few buses I've been on lately, RTA has had a "Transit Economics" sign up top where all the ads and stuff are that explains that only about 20% of revenue is from fares.  It goes on to explain that the Cuyahoga County sales tax pays for another portion of the ride, but since spending is down, so is that funding.  So, kudos to RTA for the new signs, although I think they should be displayed a little more obnoxiously :-D

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but in a few buses I've been on lately, RTA has had a "Transit Economics" sign up top where all the ads and stuff are that explains that only about 20% of revenue is from fares.  It goes on to explain that the Cuyahoga County sales tax pays for another portion of the ride, but since spending is down, so is that funding.  So, kudos to RTA for the new signs, although I think they should be displayed a little more obnoxiously :-D

 

I did notice those signs, and I think they should be placed on the outside of the busses so other passing motorists can see them as well.

Took the 39F leaving Public Suare at 4:45 yesterday afternoon and it was an absolute disaster. We took the route down St. Clair instead of getting on the highway at east 9th, but due to the horrendous timing and light cycles (I swear the light in front of you turns red 10 seconds after the light you are currently stopped at turns green, giving you no time to make it through without blatanly and dangerously running the red) of every single traffic light it took us 55 minutes to go from East 6th to Eddy Road, where we got on the highway, and then another 25 minutes until i got off the bus. I'm not really angry, nor am I complaining about the trip since the traffic and light timing isn't RTA's fault, but as we were going through the intersection at E. 9th their looked to be about 5 to 8 people standing in a single file line at the bus stop in front of the Galleria. How can a bus that is scheduled to arrive at a marked stop just re-route and leave all those people waiting an additional 15 to 20 minutes for the next bus to come along? And who's to say that next bus won't take the same route the bus I was on down St. Clair?

Took the 39F leaving Public Suare at 4:45 yesterday afternoon and it was an absolute disaster. We took the route down St. Clair instead of getting on the highway at east 9th, but due to the horrendous timing and light cycles (I swear the light in front of you turns red 10 seconds after the light you are currently stopped at turns green, giving you no time to make it through without blatanly and dangerously running the red) of every single traffic light it took us 55 minutes to go from East 6th to Eddy Road, where we got on the highway, and then another 25 minutes until i got off the bus. I'm not really angry, nor am I complaining about the trip since the traffic and light timing isn't RTA's fault, but as we were going through the intersection at E. 9th their looked to be about 5 to 8 people standing in a single file line at the bus stop in front of the Galleria. How can a bus that is scheduled to arrive at a marked stop just re-route and leave all those people waiting an additional 15 to 20 minutes for the next bus to come along? And who's to say that next bus won't take the same route the bus I was on down St. Clair?

 

And that is why I refuse to wait at a bus stop that either could be or is affected by a re-route.  The drivers take things into their own hands all the time, unfortunately.

I haven't seen the signs on the redline.  They should post them next to every seat!

 

Edited: saw the sign this morning on the redline.  Good job!

Took the 39F leaving Public Suare at 4:45 yesterday afternoon and it was an absolute disaster. We took the route down St. Clair instead of getting on the highway at east 9th, but due to the horrendous timing and light cycles (I swear the light in front of you turns red 10 seconds after the light you are currently stopped at turns green, giving you no time to make it through without blatanly and dangerously running the red) of every single traffic light it took us 55 minutes to go from East 6th to Eddy Road, where we got on the highway, and then another 25 minutes until i got off the bus. I'm not really angry, nor am I complaining about the trip since the traffic and light timing isn't RTA's fault

 

 

That was probably still faster than taking the Shoreway from E. 9th.  Everything was horribly backed up going eastbound due to an accident near Eddy road

 

Took the 39F leaving Public Suare at 4:45 yesterday afternoon and it was an absolute disaster. We took the route down St. Clair instead of getting on the highway at east 9th, but due to the horrendous timing and light cycles (I swear the light in front of you turns red 10 seconds after the light you are currently stopped at turns green, giving you no time to make it through without blatanly and dangerously running the red) of every single traffic light it took us 55 minutes to go from East 6th to Eddy Road, where we got on the highway, and then another 25 minutes until i got off the bus. I'm not really angry, nor am I complaining about the trip since the traffic and light timing isn't RTA's fault, but as we were going through the intersection at E. 9th their looked to be about 5 to 8 people standing in a single file line at the bus stop in front of the Galleria. How can a bus that is scheduled to arrive at a marked stop just re-route and leave all those people waiting an additional 15 to 20 minutes for the next bus to come along? And who's to say that next bus won't take the same route the bus I was on down St. Clair?

 

And that is why I refuse to wait at a bus stop that either could be or is affected by a re-route.  The drivers take things into their own hands all the time, unfortunately.

 

Pass this along to anyone who says buses can spur TOD as well as rail systems.  (of course, in this case if the bus had taken its regular route, you would be stuck in traffic like every other highway commuter was last night)

Took the 39F leaving Public Suare at 4:45 yesterday afternoon and it was an absolute disaster. We took the route down St. Clair instead of getting on the highway at east 9th, but due to the horrendous timing and light cycles (I swear the light in front of you turns red 10 seconds after the light you are currently stopped at turns green, giving you no time to make it through without blatanly and dangerously running the red) of every single traffic light it took us 55 minutes to go from East 6th to Eddy Road, where we got on the highway, and then another 25 minutes until i got off the bus. I'm not really angry, nor am I complaining about the trip since the traffic and light timing isn't RTA's fault, but as we were going through the intersection at E. 9th their looked to be about 5 to 8 people standing in a single file line at the bus stop in front of the Galleria. How can a bus that is scheduled to arrive at a marked stop just re-route and leave all those people waiting an additional 15 to 20 minutes for the next bus to come along? And who's to say that next bus won't take the same route the bus I was on down St. Clair?

 

And that is why I refuse to wait at a bus stop that either could be or is affected by a re-route.  The drivers take things into their own hands all the time, unfortunately.

 

Pass this along to anyone who says buses can spur TOD as well as rail systems.  (of course, in this case if the bus had taken its regular route, you would be stuck in traffic like every other highway commuter was last night)

And if there was light rail or commuter rail, because of having its own right of way, many of us would never have noticed the traffic jam caused by a flipped semi instead of spending over 2 hours sitting in that cramped bus seat next to the sweetest little old lady that happened to have a flatulance issue that evening and listening to the music from the ipod of the college student a couple rows up that is apparently trying to destroy her ear drums.

Took the 39F leaving Public Suare at 4:45 yesterday afternoon and it was an absolute disaster. We took the route down St. Clair instead of getting on the highway at east 9th, but due to the horrendous timing and light cycles (I swear the light in front of you turns red 10 seconds after the light you are currently stopped at turns green, giving you no time to make it through without blatanly and dangerously running the red) of every single traffic light it took us 55 minutes to go from East 6th to Eddy Road, where we got on the highway, and then another 25 minutes until i got off the bus. I'm not really angry, nor am I complaining about the trip since the traffic and light timing isn't RTA's fault, but as we were going through the intersection at E. 9th their looked to be about 5 to 8 people standing in a single file line at the bus stop in front of the Galleria. How can a bus that is scheduled to arrive at a marked stop just re-route and leave all those people waiting an additional 15 to 20 minutes for the next bus to come along? And who's to say that next bus won't take the same route the bus I was on down St. Clair?

 

And that is why I refuse to wait at a bus stop that either could be or is affected by a re-route.  The drivers take things into their own hands all the time, unfortunately.

 

Pass this along to anyone who says buses can spur TOD as well as rail systems.  (of course, in this case if the bus had taken its regular route, you would be stuck in traffic like every other highway commuter was last night)

And if there was light rail or commuter rail, because of having its own right of way, many of us would never have noticed the traffic jam caused by a flipped semi instead of spending over 2 hours sitting in that cramped bus seat next to the sweetest little old lady that happened to have a flatulance issue that evening and listening to the music from the ipod of the college student a couple rows up that is apparently trying to destroy her ear drums.

 

Sounds like a ride on a NYC Transit Bus!  What's the problem again?

OK . . maybe this'd be a good segue into a rail question.

 

Given the heavy usage of the 28, the Euclid Park & Ride, and the various Laketran services, and the relatively easy availability of funding for capital improvements, as opposed to operating costs - might this not be a good time to look at the feasibility of extending the Red Line eastward, along existing ROW between Stokes to one of: (a) Euclid P&R; (b) Wickliffe or © points further north/east, possibly in cooperation with Laketran, since this would duplicate and in fact greatly improve on some of the service they currently offer?  I do remember the "bus on rail" POC that was done in this corridor about 15-20 years ago and if it made sense then it certainly would seem to now - especially if greater strides could be made toward automation and therefore reduced operating costs.  The ROW is certainly far more lightly used than it was at that time.  Because many 39/39F/239 users do have cars and would consider driving to local P&R lots, this improvement might potentially alleviate some of the congestion and/or permanent loss of ridership that the threatened 39 and 239 changes would otherwise cause.

It's being discussed at GCRTA as a long-range planning issue, so nothing is likely to happen anytime soon. But we've chatted about it at UO at:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,2768.msg426624.html#msg426624

 

BTW, the Railbus demonstration was in the spring of 1985. And the Norfolk Southern right of way it used is busier today than it was then, hosting about 20 freight trains per day. If the Red Line were extended, including with some express trips, it might eliminate the need for the 239, some Laketran express buses, and possibly allow RTA's 28 bus to reduce some trips. I don't know if that's enough to offset the added operating cost of the rail line, but it might be worth looking at.

 

I encourage that discussion to take place at the above link so we can focus on day-to-day transit issues here.

OK . . maybe this'd be a good segue into a rail question.

 

Given the heavy usage of the 28, the Euclid Park & Ride, and the various Laketran services, and the relatively easy availability of funding for capital improvements, as opposed to operating costs - might this not be a good time to look at the feasibility of extending the Red Line eastward, along existing ROW between Stokes to one of: (a) Euclid P&R; (b) Wickliffe or © points further north/east, possibly in cooperation with Laketran, since this would duplicate and in fact greatly improve on some of the service they currently offer?  I do remember the "bus on rail" POC that was done in this corridor about 15-20 years ago and if it made sense then it certainly would seem to now - especially if greater strides could be made toward automation and therefore reduced operating costs.  The ROW is certainly far more lightly used than it was at that time.  Because many 39/39F/239 users do have cars and would consider driving to local P&R lots, this improvement might potentially alleviate some of the congestion and/or permanent loss of ridership that the threatened 39 and 239 changes would otherwise cause.

 

I think extending the red line to Euclid Square would be a wise investment if they can make it four tracks for express and local trains. 

 

Anything out side of Cuyahoga County should be Commutter rail.  Commutter rail with a terminal downtown, with no or limited stop in cuyahoga county.

Took the Red Line to the game yesterday and I have to continue to ask, why are the new fare card machines set up for a 4 year old's stature.  I am 6'4" and literally have to kneel on the ground to see the screen.  I can see the compliance issues for disabled individuals, but c'mon RTA.  One machine at average adult height and one for the disabled should be fine....

Took the Red Line to the game yesterday and I have to continue to ask, why are the new fare card machines set up for a 4 year old's stature. I am 6'4" and literally have to kneel on the ground to see the screen. I can see the compliance issues for disabled individuals, but c'mon RTA. One machine at average adult height and one for the disabled should be fine....

 

The official reason: ADA compliance.  That explains the height, but maybe not the angle of the screen.  And doesn't explain why even aside from height they are the worst fair machines many people on this forum who have used many systems have ever seen.  Or why it took such an incredibly long time to finish rolling out such incredibly bad machines.

I took my Mom to the airport on Thanksgiving day and saw a couple of Asians trying to figure out the fare machines down by the entrance to the rapid. They were looking obviously confused and kind of looking around for help and talking to each other in Chinese.  I had to get my Mom to the security checkpoint (she's a little Edith Bunker about traveling) but I resolved to come back and try to  help them on my way back, but as I was saying goodbye to my Mom, I saw them come up and go outside and get a cab, obviously they gave up.

I can't believe, CAN NOT believe that someone actually designed that system and thought that it was a reasonable system.  I'm equally flabbergasted that someone at RTA actually took delivery of that system instead of saying to the contractor, "Are you sh-tting me?"

I can't believe, CAN NOT believe that someone actually designed that system and thought that it was a reasonable system.  I'm equally flabbergasted that someone at RTA actually took delivery of that system instead of saying to the contractor, "Are you sh-tting me?"

 

I saw an interesting article (from 2004!) about a "mesh" network in Portsmouth, UK that is used to track the buses in the system.

Portsmouth's Online Real Time Traveller Portal project, designed to encourage the use of public transport by displaying in real time the updated arrival times for the city's buses at 36 bus stops, is the largest intelligent transportation system in the world to be based on mobile mesh networking.

 

Mesh networking, developed by the US military for battlefield communications, avoids the need for a central hub, which can be both a single point of failure and a bottleneck, by making each node in the network capable of receiving, transmitting and passing on (hopping) messages to and from any other node in the network by dynamically routing an optimal path through the nodes.

 

For John Domblides, team leader for the project, mesh networking also has one other key advantage over traditional GPRS wireless or copper wire networks. Once the network is installed there are no further charges for data passed across it.

 

"The mesh radio technology cost just under £600,000 of the portal's total budget of £3.5m, £1.5m of which came from the Department of Transport's Transport Direct Initiative and £2m from the council's Local Transport Plan settlement," he said.

 

"Although we could not have done it without the DoT funding, we are already saving potentially £70,000 a year in charges on our wire traffic, and our monthly GPRS bill should stabilise at around £1,000," and that is before the mesh network is fully rolled out, Domblides added.

 

http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2004/10/26/206197/Portsmouth-shows-bus-times-in-real-time.htm

 

Seems like something RTA should look into.  Even if the money isn't in the budget NOW, perhaps funding for it can be pursued with the Feds.  And given the advances in technology since 2004, such a system probably works better and is cheaper than it was in 2004.

 

 

I can't believe, CAN NOT believe that someone actually designed that system and thought that it was a reasonable system.  I'm equally flabbergasted that someone at RTA actually took delivery of that system instead of saying to the contractor, "Are you sh-tting me?"

 

RTA hasn't "accepted" the system, so it hasn't actually paid the final bill.  They are aware of issues - reliability, usability, dual-language, etc.  They are holding out final payments until the system is corrected.

 

The machines do need a lot of work. 

I can't believe, CAN NOT believe that someone actually designed that system and thought that it was a reasonable system.  I'm equally flabbergasted that someone at RTA actually took delivery of that system instead of saying to the contractor, "Are you sh-tting me?"

 

RTA hasn't "accepted" the system, so it hasn't actually paid the final bill.  They are aware of issues - reliability, usability, dual-language, etc.  They are holding out final payments until the system is corrected.

 

The machines do need a lot of work. 

 

That's an understatement.  ;)

I can't believe, CAN NOT believe that someone actually designed that system and thought that it was a reasonable system. I'm equally flabbergasted that someone at RTA actually took delivery of that system instead of saying to the contractor, "Are you sh-tting me?"

 

RTA hasn't "accepted" the system, so it hasn't actually paid the final bill. They are aware of issues - reliability, usability, dual-language, etc. They are holding out final payments until the system is corrected.

 

The machines do need a lot of work.

 

It's good to hear that they haven't accepted final payment.  I'm still amazed they were deployed.

I cant tell you how many times I ended up not paying cuz I couldnt figure out the machine before I heard my scheduled train rumbling into the station and just chanced it. As a Democrat, that machine is so FUBAR, I can not believe its not linked to the whole county corruption scandal(s)

Can you still buy the passes from a cashier inside Tower City?  I've use the machines and figured it out, though it takes a few minutes.  That's an eternity, and when waiting for a couple people in front of you, it ruins your morning....  I've missed a few trains at W117th due to that.

Can you still buy the passes from a cashier inside Tower City? I've use the machines and figured it out, though it takes a few minutes. That's an eternity, and when waiting for a couple people in front of you, it ruins your morning.... I've missed a few trains at W117th due to that.

Yes! Thankfully

Cleveland RTA's Calabrese testifies before Congress
       

Wednesday, December 09, 2009 

 

....Public Transit Systems across the nation have already created many jobs through the award of shovel-ready infrastructure projects. At RTA, 109 contracts have already been awarded on 15 projects valued at $48.4 million. An additional $5.3 million worth of ARRA contracts are to be awarded next week. RTA's major ARRA projects include the construction of the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center and the rehabilitation of both the Puritas and E. 55th Street Rail Stations.

 

Nationally, more than $7.2 billion of public transit infrastructure projects have been obligated in an industry where for every $1 billion in investments, 30,000 jobs are created. That is why Calabrese will ask for investments in public transit to be integral in any future Jobs Bill.

 

Calabrese will also ask for the reauthorization of the Transportation Bill at the highest level of investment possible, and with added flexibility to address the operating needs of transit systems across the nation. In almost all cases, federal funds received by transit systems can only be used for capital projects and the purchase and maintenance of buses and trains, and cannot be used to cover expenses of daily transit service.

 

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.rtands.com/newsflash/cleveland-rtas-calabrese-testifies-before-congress.html

Just an FYI to everyone, please spread the word about RTA's service schedule for the week of Dec. 28-31. This has been a subject of much speculation and rumor, and the official announcement was made yesterday that we will be running NORMAL WEEKDAY SERVICE during those days.

 

The full press release is at http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1372. A special announcement will also be communicated to our e-news subscribers later today.

Just an FYI to everyone, please spread the word about RTA's service schedule for the week of Dec. 28-31. This has been a subject of much speculation and rumor, and the official announcement was made yesterday that we will be running NORMAL WEEKDAY SERVICE during those days.

 

The full press release is at http://www.riderta.com/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=1372. A special announcement will also be communicated to our e-news subscribers later today.

 

On that note, many of the bus routes have schedule changes again on Sunday!  But I haven't actually seen any signs in buses :(......  So check your schedules on the web!

If the height of the machines has to be in compliance with ADA, why are the machines in Chicago at a height for the average person?  Those machines are great.  Big buttons, plain language, logical layout and flow.  Obviously Chicago's transit system is still in compliance with ADA, so how are they getting away with having machines that actually are EASY and at a "normal" height?

If the height of the machines has to be in compliance with ADA, why are the machines in Chicago at a height for the average person?  Those machines are great.  Big buttons, plain language, logical layout and flow.  Obviously Chicago's transit system is still in compliance with ADA, so how are they getting away with having machines that actually are EASY and at a "normal" height?

 

Seems NYC, San Fran and Chicago have more than one type of machine.

the height is an ADA requirement... they require one at each station be at ADA height... it was said earlier that it was deemed too costly to have one at one height and one at the other, so they put them both at ADA height.  This to me, regardless of $ (and i fully understand RTA's financial plight), is one of the single worst decisions I've ever seen made in any organization in any field.  Seriously... the fact that to save money they require 99% of their passenger base to bend over at an ackward 45 degree angle to keep their face 3 feet off the ground for a prolonged period of time only to be rewarded with a 800 decibal beep shattering your ear drums is just completely and totally unacceptable.

Yeah, WHY does that machine beep so loud?  Are we now trying to appeal to deaf people?  I swear when I get a ticket and it beeps that the entire crowd in Public Square turns their heads to see what the heck the noise was!

 

Although RTA loves beeping noises, so at least they're consistent.

Apparently not all RTA drivers give a sh!t about safety and I have to wonder - if RTA could get the rogue dipsh!ts under control, might they be able to spare some routes from being cut? I try and try and try to say that RTA deserves our utmost support BUT...

 

Perfect example this evening, light-to-medium complected African-American male with close cropped/shaved hair driving the 79A/Parmatown westbound at the intersection of West 6th/Prospect/Superior (Rockefeller Building/State Office Building - site of a *previous* fatal accident) - bus #2409, at approximately 5:05-5:10pm.

 

Light turned red WELL before he proceeded into the intersection - instead this jack@ss honks his horn and PLOWS through a red light - thank god the pedestrians who were crossing Superior and the motorists coming from Prospect saw him. This m'fer needs pulled off the road before he kills someone - I mean, just cause you honk doesn't justify vehicular homicide so you can keep on schedule.

Who are the advocates for public transit in Cleveland?