CLEVELAND — Riders with the Greater Cleveland RTA will have a new way to pay for their ride.
Greater Cleveland RTA is launching a new fare capping program designed to save frequent riders money. The new SmartCard allows individuals to pay for a daily pass and let it accumulate up to a monthly pass.
For example, a single ride costs $2.50.
Hopping on GCRTA for two rides in one day reaches the daily cap, which is the equivalent of an all-day pass. With the SmartCard, that means any additional rides that day are free.
If you continue to do that over seven days, RTA will stop charging you after the fifth day.
SmartCard riders would pay $25 for the week, compared to almost $150 if they paid for each day.
To get started with SmartCard, all riders have to do is create an account online and scan their SmartCard or RTA app when they ride.
Joshua Miranda, the director of management information systems with the GCRTA, said the idea of the SmartCard came from feedback from riders.
"One of the large barriers that was identified was the ability to have that much capital available right at the front end of the process," he said. "So, we tried to find a way to make this possible and really the technology is what makes this possible. It was not achievable without the algorithm doing this for us."
In removing this financial barrier, Dr. Floun'say Caver, the deputy general manager of operations with GCRTA, said the transit service hopes it will enable more people to ride the public transit system.
"I think one of the most important ways is that it allows more freedom and more mobility through our community," he said. "So as customers build up use of the system, they're able to get the benefits of passes that they may not have been able to get because they didn't have the money upfront."
Interested riders can sign up for a SmartCard starting Monday.
Sign-ups are available through the app, in person at the Customer Service Center in Tower City or by calling the Community Connection Line at (216) 621-9500.
