Welcome to Moving People

Welcome to the first issue of Moving People, RTA’s new quarterly newsletter for Paratransit Customers. We think you’re going like it.

If you prefer receiving the newsletter in a different format (Braille, cassette tape, larger type, or electronically), please let us know. You can mail your preference to: RTA Marketing Department, 1240 West 6th Street, Cleveland 44113 or send us an e-mail: sbitto@gcrta.org.

RTA’s Bus Fleet 100% Wheelchair Accessible

With the recent delivery of the new “Silver Bullet” buses, RTA has become one of the first transit authorities in the country to have a bus fleet that’s totally wheelchair accessible. “Enhancing the accessibility of our service for all members of our community is a critical element of our corporate mission”, stated Joseph A. Calabrese, CEO and General Manager. “Having a bus fleet that’s 100% wheelchair accessible is a major milestone in this effort.”

The new buses, built by North American Bus Industries (NABI), have a “low-floor” design which are easier for customers to get on and off. “Our new buses are much easier for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and our operators to use”, says RTA Deputy General Manager of Operations Michael York. “With the low-floor design there are no steps to climb. They also have an easy-to-use ramp that is much faster to get in place for wheelchair passengers.” The ramp is much more dependable than the wheelchair lifts found on other buses. Fewer mechanical parts will result in fewer breakdowns.

New Buses Improve Reliability

With the addition of 225 new NABI buses, RTA has retired many of its older buses. “ Much time and effort has been spent trying to keep these older buses on the road”, stated Doug Seger, Director of Fleet Management. With the new NABI’s, breakdowns, causing service interruptions will be greatly reduced.

In addition to being both customer and operator friendly, the NABI buses are equipped with many modern technologies that will greatly improve service to the customer. The new communication system provides a constant link with service quality managers to ensure improved on-time performance. The new buses are also equipped with a “Global Positioning System” (GPS) that allows managers to better track service from the Authority’s new state-of-the-art communication center.

RTA Trustee Jesse O. Anderson demonstrates the ease of using the wheelchair ramp of the new low-floor NABI buses. Every bus in RTA’s 675-coach fleet is wheelchair accessible.

RTA Director of Fleet Management Doug Seger (left) points out the ADA-compliant features of the new Silver NABI coaches to Jesse O. Anderson, Secretary/Treasurer of RTA’s Board of Trustees.

Revised Paratransit “No Show” Policy Starts November 1

RTA’s Paratransit service is committed to providing customers safe, secure and reliable service. To ensure this level of service , the cooperation and support of our customers is critical. When a Paratransit customer does not “show-up” for his or her scheduled trip or cancels a trip with little advance notice, other Paratransit customers may be adversely affected. It is for this reason RTA adopted a No Show, Late Cancellation Policy.

Recently RTA reviewed these policies with the ADA subcommittee of the Citizens Advisory Board as well as with the Authority’s Board of Trustees. Changes were proposed and discussed at a Public Hearing that was held at Cleveland State University on July 23, 2003. Then the following policy changes were made.

• Paratransit customers are required to provide 60 minute advance notice of cancellation. Currently customers are required to provide only 30 minutes. By extending the notification period, RTA will be able to reassign equipment from the cancelled trip to meet another customer’s request.

• RTA has significantly liberalized the guidelines for notification and suspension of Paratransit customers for policy infractions. Currently customers committing three policy infractions (No shows or late cancellations) over a 12 month period may be subject to suspension from service. These guidelines have been changed to 3 infractions over three months.

These changes are based on customer feedback, and are liberal when compared to other transit agencies. For example, the industry norm for a late cancellation is three hours prior to the scheduled trip.

Persons seeking more information about the changes can call the RTA Customer Service Center at (216) 566-5227, or TDD for the hearing impaired (216) 781-4757. You can also visit our website at www.rideRTA.com.

RTA is A-OK for ADA

In its continuing efforts to be 100 percent ADA accessible, RTA is currently focusing on making rapid transit stations ADA compliant to better serve our customers.

“Our employees have been doing a great job on following through to meet or beat our project deadlines while staying within their budgets,” says John Goodworth, Project Manager Design and Land Use. Most of our key stations are already ADA accessible, and we’ve taken a very aggressive approach to complete the rest of them.”

Red Line stations that already meet ADA standards include the Louis Stokes Station at Windermere, Superior, University Circle, Tower City, W. 25th-Ohio City, West Blvd.-Cudell, Triskett, West Park, Brookpark and Hopkins Airport.

All of our Waterfront Line Stations meet ADA standards, along with the Warrensville Center-Van Aken on the Blue Line and Shaker-Green on the Green Line.

“We’re scheduled to finish the W. 65-Madison rapid transit station by the end of this year,” adds Goodworth. “We’ll start construction on the W. 117 station next spring, and we will complete accessibility features on the Shaker Square station by next July. Other scheduled stations through 2006 are E. 55 and Puritas.”

MV Transportation

New Service Provider

A major challenge facing RTA, in providing quality Paratransit service, is managing available resources to meet customer demand. To help meet the growing transportation needs of our disabled customers, RTA has established a new service provider relationship with MV transportation Inc.

MV’s experience with providing transportation service to individuals with disabilities is extensive. For over 25 years, they have provided safe, reliable and professional service. Currently MV has working relationships with over 50 Transit Authorities across the country including Orlando, Denver, Phoenix.

Although MV Transportation is providing the service, the procedure to schedule a trip remains the same. Paratransit customers should make their request by calling (216) 781-1110 or TDD for the hearing impaired, (216) 781-6148 at least a week in advance.

Disability Awareness Day

at Tri-C Eastern

As part of the October observance of National Disability Month, the seventh annual Disability Awareness Day will be held at the Cuyahoga Community College Eastern Campus, 4250 Richmond Road, Highland Heights, Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Open to the public, this year’s program theme is “America Works Best When All Americans Work.” This forum will present workshops of special interest for persons with disabilities.

Speaker for the 10 a.m. opening session is Robert C. Brostrom, Special Assistant in the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) in the U.S. Department of Labor.

Keynote speaker is Liane Marks, Miss Hawaii. She will discuss her experiences and work as a performing artist despite her disability.

There also are three workshops available. You can also visit vendors and do some networking during this hour if you choose not to attend a workshop.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the fee is $25. Fee includes a continental breakfast starting at 9 a.m., and lunch at 12:30 p.m.

For more information and special needs accommodations, contact CCC at (216) 987-2014. For RTA Paratransit service, call (216) 781-1110.

Liane Marks

Robert C. Brostrom