CLEVELAND — Greater Cleveland RTA is announcing more cuts to its services.
The transit system said a reduction in frequency would be coming to the following routes:
- #1: St. Clair weekday daytime frequency from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes.
- #15: Union - Harvard from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes.
- #41-41F: Warrensville from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes.
- #50: East 116 from every 30 minutes to every 60 minutes.
- #77: Brecksville rush hour from every 30 minutes to every 60 minutes.
The transit system's Route 35 is also up for being cut entirely.
The continued cuts have riders like Stanley T. Owens concerned.
"It's not comforting because I ride very often, all times of day and night," he said. "So, it wouldn't be good for me."
Greater Cleveland RTA ridership has dropped for the last ten years. According to GCRTA audit reports, over 30,156,644 people hopped on a RTA bus in 2016. In 2025, 18,187,961 rode a RTA bus, which is an almost 40% decrease.
Director of Service Management Joel Freilich said that decrease comes from a changing world.
"We have a lot of growth in work from home," he said. "We have a lot of growth in distance learning. We have a lot of growth in telehealth. We have a lot of growth in e-commerce."
Freilich also points to the RTA's financial model, which is built on a 1% sales tax. He said that has led to less efficiency and driven fewer people to depend on public transit.
Still, Greater Cleveland RTA said there has been growth. Freilich said current weekend ridership is higher than pre-COVID. He said that was a win when other transit systems are struggling at 70% or less of their pre-COVID ridership. He said that came from listening to customer feedback.
More changes are on the way. For the last five years, Greater Cleveland RTA has been working on a $435 million railcar replacement program. The new cars will be coming to the red, green and blue lines. Once completed, riders will have a more direct and reliable line from the east to the west side of Cuyahoga County.
"We really [would] like to have a rail system for a vibrant, international city," Freilich said. "It will really continue the trend where Cleveland is more on the map. It is being considered more than before for people to hold their conventions, their business meetings, and expand their business in the area."
Freilich said the power of a local rail line was on full display this past June during the World Cup game and Pride in the CLE. He said the rail line had its second highest ridership since 2020 that weekend.
Riders like Owens have one concern as those improvements move ahead: keeping fares affordable.
"I'm not sure what I could recommend because I am not for higher taxes and the five bucks is really affordable," he said. "So, I don't have a recommendation other than hang in there."
If these reductions are approved, they would go into effect this December.
Public meetings will be held at the following times:
- Monday, August 10: 8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
- Tuesday, August 11: 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, August 12: 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
If you can't attend a public meeting, click here to fill out a form with your thoughts.
