The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority trustees approved fare increases on Tuesday and the RTA general manager presented trustees with a revised service plan.
Fare changes are scheduled to go into effect on August 14.
Bus and rapid fares will increase by 25 cents on August 14 and increase by an additional 25 cents in August 2018.
RTA provided a fare increase breakdown:
- The bus/rapid cash fare will increase from the current $2.25 to $2.50, and then to $2.75 in 2018.
- Senior/Disabled fares will increase from the current $1.00 to $1.25, and then to $1.35 in 2018.
- Park-N-Ride Bus will increase from the current $2.50 to $2.75, and $3.25 in 2018.
- The regular All-Day pass will increase from $5.00 to $5.50 in August and $6.00 in 2018.
- The Monthly Pass for bus, rapid and HealthLine will increase from $85.00 to $95.00 and then to $105.00 in 2018.
- Paratransit fares will increase from the current $2.25 to $2.50, and then to $2.75 in 2017, $3.00 in 2018 and $3.25 in 2019. In addition, Paratransit customers, in the adopted proposal, will be able to purchase All-Day, 7-Day and Monthly passes at a slightly higher rate than regular fares. Those passes have not been available previously.
Service adjustments announced by the RTA are:
- Route #2 on East 79th Street -- originally slated for elimination due to low ridership -- was maintained. However, the adopted plan calls for the current schedule to be adjusted to begin service one hour later, at approximately 5:15 a.m., and end one hour earlier, at approximately 7 p.m.
- The #8 Cedar route proposal was to eliminate weekday service after 6 p.m. and to eliminate all weekend service. The current plan is to operate weekdays and weekends until 9 p.m.
- The extensions to Lakeview Tower and Tremont Pointe of the #81 Tremont route, which were proposed to be eliminated due to the high cost per rider, will be retained on days and hours to be determined soon.
- The Waterfront Line on weekdays will operate every 15 minutes during rush hour and every 30 minutes during the mid-day, with service ending at 7 p.m., except on summer Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.