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 News & Updates | Newsroom News & Updates: Newsroom RTA News March 29, 2006 Ding, Ding, Ding Downtown trolleys are back…and free CLEVELAND - After a nearly 60-year
absence, trolleys will roll once again on downtown streets, offering a way to
experience Cleveland’s past and future at the same time. Beginning April 10, office
workers and tourists will be able to hop on one of two trolley lines developed
by RTA to replace Loop bus service.
Both lines will operate from 7
a.m. to 7 p.m. with 10-minute frequency. If the nostalgic green-and- gold
vehicles, complete with cow catchers, wooden rails, and brass bells, don’t put
a smile on the face of downtown travelers, the price of riding will. The
trolleys are free now through Labor Day for -- a smile. This was accomplished through a
partnership between RTA and the Cleveland
Convention & Visitors Bureau. RTA is studying the feasibility of
maintaining the appealing “smile” fare indefinitely. Characters from the past will
help reintroduce trolleys to Clevelanders.
Radio commercials feature the voice of a 20’s vaudeville promoter,
describing the trolleys as the “Cat’s Pajamas.” Trolley jingles accompany the
spots, sung by a chorus line of bathing beauties. And on the Indians home
opener April 7, nearly 100 newsboys with capy hats and cotton news bags will
descend on downtown, spreading the word in building lobbies, street corners, and
at the Jake, “the trolleys are back.” The newsboys will descend on downtown, spreading the word in building
lobbies, street corners, and at the Jake, “the trolleys are back.” Combining fun with functionality
was the impetus for the downtown trolley lines. RTA worked with Cleveland
Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance
to develop the concept. Public meetings were also held to understand the
changing transportation needs of office workers, college students, and a
growing downtown group of residents. “We hope the trolleys will cause
office workers to break away for lunch to meet friends on the other side of
downtown,” said RTA General Manager Joe Calabrese. “By making the trip free and
creating a 10-minute frequency, we removed any barriers for hopping on and
exploring. The “smile” fare should come naturally, but it also says, ‘let’s
enjoy our downtown again.’” Along with canvassing office workers
and residents with flyers and advertisements, RTA is working with the hotel
concierges to communicate the benefits of the new trolley lines to out-of-town
guests. Operators with a gift for gab and knowledge of Cleveland’s history were
also selected to drive the trolleys – serving as ambassadors for the city. They
will dress in vintage uniforms, with motorman hats and vests. Dennis Roche, President of the Cleveland
Convention & Visitors Bureau, sees the trolleys as a great way for
people to experience all that downtown has to offer. “Great restaurants, unique music
and comedy venues, and outdoor reading gardens – places that, along with
well-known attractions like Playhouse
Square and the Avenue at Tower
City, are now just minutes away with the trolleys,” said Roche. About
RTA RTA is the nation’s 13th-largest
public-transit system, serving more than 45 percent of all public-transit
riders in Ohio. Its 2,644 employees operate 108 rail cars on 34 miles of track
and 654 buses on 89 routes. In 2005, more than 57 million passengers rode RTA’s
trains, buses, Community Circulators and Paratransit vehicles. FOR
MEDIA INQUIRIES ONLY:
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