CLEVELAND — The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is proposing service reductions as it works to close a budget shortfall, a move that could impact how thousands of riders get to work, school and medical appointments.
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The proposal includes eliminating or reducing lower-ridership routes and suspending some services, including the Waterfront Line.
According to RTA, the Waterfront Line averages fewer than one rider per direction per day when there are no major events downtown.
Here's a breakdown of the service reductions that are up for consideration:
- Weekday frequency reductions
- #78: West 117th – Puritas from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes
- #86: Rocky River Dr. – Bagley from every 30 minutes to every 60 minutes
- Weekend frequency reductions
- #3: Superior from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes
- #10: East 105 – Lakeshore from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes
- Route discontinuation
- B-Line Trolley
- #19B Broadway: Fargo branch
- Waterfront Line will operate for special events only
- Route realignment
- #77: Brecksville, discontinue service west of I-77, extend service to Columbia Rd
According to GCRTA Spokesperson Robert Fleig, "GCRTA looked at our system overall and the adjustments needed to meet the financial objective. We took into consideration ridership and the impact on customers. Inconvenience for transit system riders (e.g., added walking distance and waiting time) was a significant factor in determining reductions."
News 5's Kaylee Olivas asked the agency for details on how much money would be saved if the proposal were approved as is.
Below is what the agency says it will save.
Some of the most significant impacts could be felt in routes serving East Cleveland, a community already facing financial challenges under state receivership.
RTA officials say the cuts are aimed at addressing rising costs while maintaining operations. The agency expects about a 3% reduction in service and says it does not anticipate layoffs.
"Since we are anticipating a 3% service cut, we are reducing how we bring people in so for a 3% service cut there would not need to be a layoff of operators to do that,” RTA official Joel Freilich said in a meeting last month.
RTA is holding public hearings and accepting feedback through the end of the month. A final decision is expected in early May, with any approved changes potentially taking effect later this summer.
Officials encourage riders to share their input as the agency finalizes its plans.
For more information on how, click here.
Rally to save transit in Cleveland
Prior to Monday's first of three public hearings on the proposal for cuts, Clevelanders for Public Transit held a rally at Public Square and then marched 0.6 miles to RTA's main office on West 6th Street.
"We want to make sure that transit riders know that RTA is considering service reductions on a few bus routes, this being the first round of many more to come. We want to make sure local leaders know that there are a lot of people that care about public transit, and we want to let RTA know that, you know, any service cut is an issue. It's going to affect riders," Clevelanders for Public Transit co-chair Jenna Thomas said.
Thomas said while she's happy the cuts aren't as significant as she anticipated, she wants RTA to re-evaluate its decision-making process.
"These routes are core city routes. They serve employment centers and senior housing and schools, and so, you know, ultimately we should be having higher frequency, more buses, better routes, you know, more coverage, so seeing it go in the opposite direction is really concerning," Thomas said.
Thomas prefers that the RTA consider a levy, seeing as how one hasn't been considered since 1975.
"We're really open to any funding solutions that make sure transit continues and thrives and grows," she said.
Thomas worries about what the future of public transportation may look like, especially as she is watching gas prices and car payments climb.
"20% of Clevelanders don't have a car, so we know that there are lots of people in the City of Cleveland that rely on public transit, and I think that number is going to grow with the costs increasing," Thomas said. "It is kind of this never-ending death spiral. When we cut transit service and frequency, fewer people ride, and then the ridership declines and then fare revenues go down, and it's just this endless cycle."
She understands that the RTA is reviewing ridership, claiming it's on the decline, but she said she has never seen an empty bus when she rides.
"I commonly hear this misconception that no one rides the bus, which is wild to me as someone who rides the bus and, you know, almost every time it is packed full of people. We only want transit to get more convenient, more frequent, more reliable," Thomas said.
The rally hosted between 25 and 30 people on Monday.
The group could be heard chanting and singing for roughly 40 minutes.
RELATED: A look at RTA employee salaries on the heels of possible service cuts
RTA's first on-camera response to the proposed cuts
Following Monday's public hearing, RTA spoke with News 5's Kaylee Olivas on camera for the first time since considering cuts.
RTA's Director of Service Management, Joel Freilich, said, "There is a financial need to cut costs. We looked through a possible proposal to meet our budget needs, and it contained many cost containment measures and a 12% service cut. We were very disappointed with that alternative. A 12% service cut is severe. The new package is much better but still does require a 3% reduction in service hours to meet our financial goals," he said.
Freilich explained that the RTA conducted a major system redesign in 2021, which didn't cost more resources.
"Then, in 2024, we found an opportunity to add a little bit more service on very good routes, so we did that in 2024, and we measured the impacts of all those improvements and which ones yielded the most ridership gain. When we were told we had to cut back, we went back, and at that analysis, we decided let's remove and undo the ones that had less ridership gain. Of course, they're good routes; otherwise, we would not have added to them, so the package here you'll see has four service frequency reductions that are reversals of those improvements," Freilich said.
He said that RTA thought it would meet its financial goal, but unfortunately did not.
Olivas asked Freilich, "It sounds like you have so much more that RTA needs to save than. So, I mean, if these cuts were to happen, do we expect that more cuts are to happen next year and the year after?"
Freilich responded, "This is designed to get us through 2028. That's the design. If we don't have surprises, negative surprises, this should be enough to get us through."
We also asked about the possibility of a levy or administrative salary cuts as opposed to service reductions.
Freilich said in recent months, RTA leadership has started discussing the potential of a levy.
"The question is around should we or shouldn't we and if so, when and how big and that is an active discussion at this time," he said.
As for administrative salary cuts, Freilich explained that wages increase annually to match inflation.
"Union-represented employees, those wages are negotiated and included in their contracts, and so all of our union contracts will be honored, and those represented employees will get the increase they've earned and they deserve for the year 2026. The non-union all understand that we are not getting that cost-of-living increase for 2026. It's not happening because we have a financial need, and so it's not happening," he said.
Moving forward, Freilich said he hopes the other two public hearings will be just as packed as Monday's.
"I want people to know that RTA listens, and that's why we have this kind of process, that we value people's feedback. People were very orderly, very civil, very direct, very clear. They spoke to their own needs and the community needs, and frankly, I'm very pleased with the response," Freilich said.
The next public hearing is scheduled for April 15 from noon to 1:30 p.m.
The public comment period closes at 7 p.m. on April 27.
