SAVE MY RIDE

WRITE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES

If you value public transportation, your voice is needed. Let Governor Strickland and your State Representatives know that you believe the state of Ohio should provide more financial support for public transportation. Also, please contact your U.S. Congressional Representative and Senators asking them to support additional funding for public transportation. The goal is to keep transit affordable for all and minimize further service cuts.

We encourage you to customize our provided form letter to make certain your particular message is heard. Click here for facts and answers you can use when writing your letters.

Please take a few minutes to write to one or all of your representatives. You can make a difference!

GOVERNOR

Click here to write Governor Strickland.

OHIO STATE SENATORS

Look up your Ohio Senator here.

OHIO STATE REPRESENTATIVES

Look up your Ohio House Representative by Zip Code here.

U.S. STATE SENATORS

Click here to write Senator Brown.

Click here to write Senator Voinovich.

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Click here to write your US Congressional Representative.

For information on how to reach any of these elected officials by phone or postal mail, click here

I strongly urge you to increase public transit funding in Ohio. Since 2002, the State has reduced funding for public transit by 63 percent. Ohio now ranks near the bottom of the list when it comes to funding transit, and all of our neighboring states are way ahead of us. These state funding cuts, plus a 400 percent increase in diesel fuel prices over the past five years, are destroying our great public transit system in Cleveland. At this time, the Greater Cleveland RTA is facing a $20 million dollar deficit in 2009. To close that gap, RTA officials are proposing a fuel surcharge, which would raise fares, and massive service reductions, which would create hardships for thousands of people. Some routes are being eliminated completely, and others are being greatly reduced. Clevelanders are united on this topic -- we want our transit service back -- in one piece. On one hand, we are saddled with gas prices that are out of sight, and on the other hand, we have overcrowded buses and trains. We have nowhere left to turn. We need more transit service, not less. We need more state and federal funding, not less. Many of us depend on public transit to get to work, so reducing transit service means reducing our options for finding and keeping meaningful employment. We're sending you a huge SOS -- Save Our System. We need public transit now, more than ever. We need your support on this issue, which affects a broad cross-section of the population. Thank you.

Click here for more information about the hearings at which the public can offer feedback on RTA's proposed fuel surcharge and service reductions.