CLEVELAND — Gas prices soared over $4 per gallon in Ohio last week and there’s little relief in sight.
Despite crude oil dropping below $100 per barrel overnight according to West Texas Intermediate crude futures, Tuesday’s average in the Buckeye state hovered around $4.07 per gallon. Ohio remains below the national average of $4.31.
The price surge has many people scrambling to find alternative modes of transportation and the Greater Cleveland RTA has seen a spike in ridership.
“Our January ridership was up about 18% and we're seeing about a 20 to 25% increase over the most recent weeks,” said RTA Chief Operating Officer Floun’say Caver. “For our transit dependent customers, RTA is a lifeline. Our largest mode of ridership is for individuals going to work, schools and health care. And those are critical aspects to having a viable community.”
Last year, RTA launched its NEXT-GEN system redesign, giving more people who live in Cuyahoga County access to public transit. The revamped routes now have twice as many people within a half-mile of a high-frequency transit route.
Additionally, RTA cut the price of an all-day pass from $5.50 to $5. A monthly pass for unlimited rapid or bus service runs $95.
Recently, the transit agency has shifted its fleet to compressed natural gas which also benefits from a savings. Right now, 52 % of RTA’s fleet utilizes an alternative fuel source.
By the end of 2022, 60% of buses will run on natural gas.
“As we moved to compressed natural gas, we had two benefits. One we have a cleaner air vehicle, which provides benefits to our community,” Caver said. “But in addition, natural gas has been cheaper and more advantageous for our organization from a cost perspective.”
RTA doesn’t feel the same pinch at the pump most drivers do, because their fuel prices are protected by a hedging program. The transit agency’s prices are locked in through at least 2023.
“By being hedged when the price of fuel increases at the pump, we have a protection against that rise,” Caver said. “We would only expect for this year our fuel prices to increase by about 10%.”
With the St. Patrick’s Day holiday approaching, RTA is urging riders who wish to celebrate downtown to take advantage of the all-day pass. You can also book your fare by utilizing their app for easy no-touch payment.
RELATED: Meals on Wheels Westlake prepare for impacts of rising gas prices
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
