Rider's Digest -- May 2018

RTA Receives Safety Award

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has awarded the Gold Award for Bus Safety to RTA. This honor, recognizing achievements in safety, security, and operations, will be presented at the APTA Bus and Paratransit Conference in Tampa, Florida.

“We’re proud that RTA’s transit professionals have achieved another milestone,” said RTA CEO and General Manager Joe Calabrese. “We’re consistently seeing improvements in safety, and every month, we’re meeting and exceeding team goals, including the reduction of on-the-job injuries and preventable collisions. It’s a very positive trend, and our customers are well-served when we achieve such outstanding safety standards.”

RTA received the Gold Award in part for its early adoption of Safety Management Systems (SMS) principles. “SMS relies on data to understand emerging risk. It’s our agency wide approach to managing safety. From the CEO on down, we’re committed to using data in a proactive manner,” said Richard Czeck, Director of Safety.

The number of claims and events has been reduced by approximately 49% since 2014. In 2017, RTA was awarded the APTA Certificate of Merit for Safety for its bus and rail operations and service.

Recognizing Our Operators

Our operators keep everyone on track—literally. Because safe, conscientious employees are vital to RTA, we were pleased to honor select bus, rail, and Paratransit exceptional operators, always-dependable members of the Transit Police, and the superstars on our staff for their exemplary service. We commended individuals for their stellar performances in 2017 at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Awards Banquet, held in April.

Among the honorees was a bus operator logging 40 years of accident-free driving. A total of 26 safe operators were honored, representing 590 combined years of accident-free driving.

“It’s our honor to thank RTA employees for not only meeting, but also for exceeding the standards of our mission, which is To Provide Safe, Reliable, Clean and Courteous Public Transportation,” said CEO and General Manager Joe Calabrese.

Show your appreciation by saying thanks when exiting your RTA vehicle—our drivers certainly deserve it, and a word of gratitude can go a long way.

RTA Can Help You Bike to Work

RTA is proud to partner with Bike Cleveland for the annual “Bike to Work Day” kickoff event!

All cyclists who use RTA for part of their commute on Friday, May 18, can ride the buses and trains for free.

Join us at The Bike Rack, 2148 E. 4th St., from 7:00-9:30 a.m. on May 18 for coffee, breakfast, and bike rack demonstrations. Other events are planned throughout the summer. 

Ride RTA to These Events, Coming to Cleveland in May

May 2–27: Aladdin at Playhouse Square

Your wish has come true! Disney’s Aladdin is coming to the State Theatre. The tour runs from May 2–May 27. If your magic carpet is in the shop, you can always count on RTA to deliver you to the show. Both the C-Line and E-Line Trolleys serve the theaters. Additionally, the HealthLine stops at E. 14th Street at Playhouse Square.

May 12: The Hooley on Kamm’s Corners

Join Cleveland’s Westpark neighborhood for their annual homecoming celebration. There will be fun for the whole family: delicious food, live music, and children’s activities. The block party extends from W. 165th to Rocky River Drive. The fun starts at noon and goes until 8 p.m. Ride RTA to the event: buses #49, #75, and #86 will get you there without any malarkey.

May 13: Mother’s Day
A reminder: Mother’s Day is May 13. Treat your mom to a class at Vision Yoga, coffee from Pour, dessert at Tremont Scoops, or a special day at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Plus, if you show your RTA Farecard at these partners, you’ll receive a discount—but this is a year-round promotion, not just limited to the holiday. 

May 19–20: Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon

Start stretching now: The Cleveland Marathon and other sponsored running events will run May 19–20. May 19 features the one-mile run, the 5k, and the 8k. The marathon takes place on Sunday, May 20. The course runs through Downtown as well as parts of Lakewood and Tremont, so expect road closures and detours. Better yet, leave the driving to someone else and ride RTA to your destination!

If you’re looking to cheer on some runners, there are plenty of fun opportunities both Downtown and along the race route. Great Lakes Brewing Company is sponsoring a 26.3 Mile Rock Party. This free event will take place just past the finish line at Public Square, and it starts at 8:30 a.m. You can enjoy both live music and a DJ, refreshments, and merchandise sales. And if you’re over 21, you can enjoy the Beer Garden, which opens at 8:00 a.m.

Good luck to all participants!

May 19–20: Cleveland Asian Fest

If running isn’t your thing, perhaps you’ll consider a brisk walk to the nearest booth at Cleveland Asian Fest to taste the best bahn mi in town. The festival is free to attend, and goes from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. May 19 and 20.  It’s located in Cleveland’s AsiaTown, which spans E. 18 to E. 40 Street.

The neighborhood represents a bevy of Asian countries, like China, Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand. This celebration of culture features authentic food, live music, and fun activities—get ready to suit up for Sumo-wrestling competitions. Whether you want to check it out with friends or bring the whole family, there’s something for everyone.

For the most convenient route, take the #3 Superior bus.

May 25–27: Taste of Summer

What better way to welcome the unofficial beginning of summer than with three days of fun on the Flats East Bank? The Taste of Summer showcases some of Cleveland’s best food, drinks, and live music—and it’s free to attend. Bring the kids and play your favorite lawn games while enjoying the scenic view, sampling local restaurants, and listening to some awesome bands.

The C-Line Trolley services The Flats, runs from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday–Friday, and from

11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and is free to ride with a smile!

RTA Receives Grant for CNG Fueling Facility at Triskett

RTA is proud to announce the U.S. Department of Transportation is investing more than $2.6 million to be used for the conversion of diesel to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling at the Triskett District facility. The DOT grant calls for the facility to serve as a CNG public fueling facility, so neighboring municipalities, as well as public entities, will be able to use this facility to fuel CNG vehicles.

We also received a $400,000 grant from the Ohio EPA to help cover the $25,000 difference between the cost of a diesel and a CNG bus. RTA CEO and General Manager Joe Calabrese said,

“We’d like to thank our elected federal officials for their advocacy…RTA can now save more than $200,000 over the life of each vehicle.”

The funds will go toward the cost of 16 of RTA’s 33 new CNG buses currently on order. We plan to order another 27 CNG buses in 2019. Within our bus fleet, 106 of the 453 vehicles are fueled by CNG.

Kids ride free this summer

Last year, RTA started the  “Go RTA” summer fun program, which allowed up to three children ages 12 and under to ride RTA free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult, age 18 or older.

Due to the success of the program, we’ve decided to do it again this year. It will run from Sunday, June 3, until Saturday, August 11.

RTA is working with a host of partners, sponsors and venues to provide awareness of the many family-friendly opportunities this summer, and to help families get to them in the most fun, convenient, and affordable way possible.

In addition, showing your RTA Farecard or mobile ticket provides discounts at many restaurants and venues in the area. 

Sign Up Now for Emergency Alerts

Sign up to receive emergency alerts and other important information for Cuyahoga County from the free notification system ReadyNotify. It provides you with immediate information about emergencies and vital safety messages.

Registered users receive information via landline telephones, cell phones, text messages, e-mail, and fax.

Registering with ReadyNotify will not interfere with your ability to receive alerts or other information through one of the many city-operated systems in the county. ReadyNotify provides county-level information and is intended to supplement city-operated mass notification systems.

For information on preparing for disasters, call the Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management at 216-443-5700, send an email to ema@cuyahogacounty.us, or go to ready.cuyahogacounty.us