March 21-April 8: RTA holds 14 public meetings to discuss budget issues
On March 21, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) begins a series of public meetings to gather comments about proposed fare increases for buses, trains and Paratransit, as well as proposed service modifications.
“These proposals will affect every customer, and we want to hear from you,” said Joe Calabrese, RTA CEO and General Manager. “By law, we must balance our budget. To be good stewards of public money, we must look at all possible alternatives. Your comments will help guide our final decision, which will be made April 26 by the Board of Trustees.”
Calabrese said that RTA needs to close a $7 million gap in the 2016 operating budget, passed by the Board in December. He blamed part of the problem on weak transit funding by the State.
At the public meetings, customers will be asked to comment on modifications to a number of routes being considered for full or partial cuts. RTA’s goal is to impact the least number of customers. Modifications to these routes will impact less than 2 percent of RTA’s current customers. Continue reading
