News & Updates: Newsroom

RTA NEWS

 

Monday, Oct. 1, 2007

 

Greater Cleveland: Best Location for Public Transportation in the Nation

 

CLEVELAND – The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has been named NORTH AMERICA’S BEST PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) for demonstrating achievement in efficiency and effectiveness. William W. Millar, President of APTA, made the announcement.

 

“Congratulations to Joe Calabrese and the employees of RTA for being recognized as the 2007 best large transit agency in North America,” says Millar. “Receiving this prestigious honor means that RTA and its employees are the “best of the best” in North America.”

 

RTA won the award through a simple “back to the basics” business plan that focused on enhancing customer service, improving its image and strengthening its financial health. Through hard work and dedication, RTA improved its service quality and image, broke ground on a premium “New-Starts” BRT Euclid Corridor Project, created a quarterly report card for public accountability, implemented a Ride Happy or Ride Free service guarantee program, introduced popular downtown trolleys, improved its financial status and compiled four straight years of ridership growth.

 

To maintain and improve its financial health, RTA learned to do more with less. Annual expenses were reduced by $25 million, while services were maintained through better utilization of staffing, equipment and facilities. More than 450 positions and 106 buses were eliminated. Major facilities, departments and two municipally operated bus lines were consolidated. This was achieved through unprecedented labor/management cooperation.

 

“This is a truly fantastic achievement, highlighting the many accomplishments realized, and improvements made, by RTA, for the benefit of our community and our customers,” says RTA CEO & General Manager Joe Calabrese. “The net result has been four consecutive years of ridership growth. I thank our supportive Board of Trustees, our entire community, and especially the many great employees at RTA, who work hard to make our motto a reality, which is to provide Quality Service to Every Customer, Every Day”.

 

In making their decision, judges looked at various operating-related statistics for 2004-2006, as well as accomplishments in Safety, Customer Service, Financial Management, Employee Costs, Diversity, Marketing, Policy/ Administration and Community Relations.

 

“I am proud of the outstanding achievements of RTA. At a time when our nation faces important energy issues, we must continue to develop and support our public transportation systems,” says Ohio U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich. “With its commitment and dedication to the Greater Cleveland community, RTA has created a model system that other public transportation systems around the country should aspire to emulate.”

 

Transit agencies that have won APTA’s Outstanding Public Transportation Achievement Award in recent years include, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Toronto.

 

APTA’s Outstanding Public Transportation Achievement Award is the third major honor RTA has received in 2007. Earlier this year, RTA received the Federal Transit Administration’s Success in Enhancing Ridership Award, and just this past summer, the agency received the Smart Business Magazine/Metro Lexus World-Class Customer Service Award.

 

About RTA

 

RTA’s 2,665 employees serve approximately 200,000 customers on a typical weekday (more than 57.2 million riders in 2006 – the fourth straight year of ridership increases). With an annual operating budget of $240 million, RTA’s service area covers 1.3 million people in 59 municipalities over 460 square miles. RTA offers four modes of transportation – the heavy-rail Red Line to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport; the light-rail system of Blue, Green and Waterfront lines from downtown to the eastern suburbs; 730 buses, trolleys and Community Circulator vehicles on 90 routes, and Paratransit service-on-demand for the disabled.

 

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES ONLY:

Chad Self, 216-566-5211