Summary
- The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is anticipating a budget deficit and is planning accordingly; however, RTA hopes to get a tax levy approved so it does not have to further constrain its services.
- New railcars are on the way, and people are excited about them, a board member said. But there will be limited opportunities for the public to view them when they first arrive.
- Another chance for the public to share their insights regarding the next round of route and service frequency cuts is coming up in a few weeks.
Follow-up questions
- Has RTA considered spreading out the budget cuts over the time period after the levy gets voted on? What if these changes to routes and service times turn out to be unnecessary if the levy passes? Why not wait and see? I understand foreseeing a budget deficit and proactively seeking funding to fill that gap, but why make it visible to everyday riders? Is it some kind of strategic thing, like if people see that they are losing services, then they will feel more like voting in favor of the levy?
- Did Michael Schipper, RTA’s deputy general manager/engineering and project management, really say no more federal grants are coming in while showing a chart that shows that half the railcar funding is from federal grants? Why is that? Or did he mean they do not need any more grants because they are fully funded already for the new railcars? [Editor’s note: Schipper communicated the latter.]
- Did RTA foresee the budget gap shortfall coming earlier, before it became necessary to make these service cuts? If not, why? Did RTA think to put the tax levy on the ballot sooner so it would already have been voted on?
Who attended
Board members (listed in the order they were seated, from left to right):
- Shanelle Smith Whigham
- Emily Harper
- Stephen Love
- Marie Gallo
- Paul Koomar, chair
- Emily Garr Pacetti, vice chair
- David Weiss
- Jeffrey Sleasman
- Deidre McPherson
Anastasia Elder was absent.
Scene setting
This Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) meeting was attended in person by at least 15 members of the public as well as a group of retiring employees being honored by RTA. I watched the livestream on YouTube. By 10 a.m., roughly 37 people were watching the livestream. The meeting was about two and a half hours long and included presentations about reducing operating costs to stave off the looming budget deficit, the celebrated arrival of new railcars, the retirement of multiple employees, and the upcoming pilot episode of a new RTA podcast featuring CEO India Birdsong Terry.
The RTA Committee of the Whole meeting (see agenda) lasted a little over an hour and was followed by the RTA Board of Trustees meeting (see agenda), which began with public comments at 10:15 a.m. and also lasted a little over an hour. The board went into executive session for the final half hour, and the meeting was officially adjourned at noon.
Committee of the Whole
Roll was called, a quorum was confirmed, and the minutes of the prior meeting were approved. The order of presentations did not follow the agenda.
Rajan Gautam – RTA deputy general manager of finance
Budget overview
- RTA will face a $30 million budget gap in 2029 if no further funding comes in before then.
- Because of that, RTA is planning to reduce services and expenses by $10 million per year over the next three years.
- This is in addition to the cost reductions that have already been implemented.
An offscreen board member said he did not understand how Gautam’s chart reflected earlier discussions about issuing debt to provide a kind of “runway” for RTA to become more stable.
Gautam confirmed that this plan — spreading out the $30 million in cuts over the next three years — is in fact the “runway.” This would level off the “cliff” RTA is facing to provide enough time to hopefully secure new funding.
Gautam emphasized that RTA is committed to minimizing the service reductions.
Potential service adjustments
Joel Freilich – RTA’s director of service management
- As one part of the overall plan to address budgetary concerns, more service reductions will be needed.
- Timeline to implement service cuts for full-year savings in 2027. (screenshot here).
- Goal is always to minimize disruptions and inconveniences to people when making service cuts.
- The public is invited to comment and make suggestions at the following public hearings:
- Monday, Aug. 10, 8:30 to 10 a.m.
- Tuesday, Aug. 11, 12:30 to 2 p.m.
- Wednesday, Aug. 12, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
- Comment period closes Aug. 24.
- Changes will take effect on Dec. 6.
Proposed changes (these will not be finalized until after the public hearings):
Route discontinuation
#35 Lee Boulevard – East 123rd Street
- Runs along the stretch of Lee Boulevard between Mayfield Road and Euclid Avenue.
- On average, only two daily riders will have to walk more than half a mile to alternative transit.
- Other areas on this route are still covered by other nearby routes.
Weekday frequency reductions
- #1, 15, 41 – from 15-minute wait to 30-minute wait between buses.
- #50 and 77 – from 30- to 60-minute wait.
Weekend frequency reductions
- #25, 28/28A, and 83 increased from 30- to a 60-minute wait.
- For #25, only the segment west of West 117th Street would be reduced, but the route east of there would not be (screenshots begin here).
Service reductions 2026 summary
- Proposed total reduction of 65,070 annual vehicle hours, which would save $4.1 million annually.
- Add that to the reduction of 39,082 annual vehicle hours from changes already implemented this year.
- Total of $6.6 million in savings through those service reductions in 2026.
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Service questions and answers
Q: Some off-camera board members expressed confusion about a memo they received that they said had mentioned different routes for reductions.
A: RTA Chief Operating Officer Floun’say Caver answered that the board members needed to look on the back of the memo for the schedule of proposed reductions; the front of the memo lists more future proposed reductions, if necessary.
Q: Board Vice President Emily Garr Pacetti asked how they can make the rider experience better in small ways, even while they are making these service cuts.
A: Freilich said they are doubling down on focusing on bus departure times and being vigilant about making sure drivers never leave a stop early, for example. This is a high priority. They are also using smartphone apps to provide real-time updates of bus arrival times. He said RTA is “vigorously going after that aspect of service reliability.”
Q: Pacetti then asked about the future when new funding comes in (if the levy passes in May) — specifically, whether these routes will just come back online automatically or if there will be a re-assessment. She was concerned that they don’t want to keep changing things, adding routes, then taking them away again, because that back and forth would confuse riders.
A: Freilich responded that nothing is automatic. They always reassess where to put resources to do the most good. And that will always be changing. “When you add resources, you put them where they can do the most good. When you remove resources, you take them from where taking it does the least harm. And that changes over time, so we’re constantly monitoring.”
Board Member Shanelle Smith Whigham said she appreciated the clarification, because she had been wondering a similar thing — specifically, about the process for community engagement when bringing resources, services and routes back online (once the levy passes, which she said she will speak into existence!).
Q: Board Member David Weiss wondered if the savings created by the reductions in service — the dollar amount — gets translated into a number of employees.
A: Freilich said that the percentage reduction in bus operators is very close to the percentage reduction in annual vehicle hours, because to produce a vehicle hour, a driver has to drive for an hour. And because there are so many bus operators, when they do this size of budget cut, the only change to be made is to stop hiring new ones — there are no layoffs, because the turnover is high enough that simply hiring fewer new drivers is enough to counterbalance the cuts.
Q: India Birdsong Terry commented that she agrees with that assessment but also asked George Fields from RTA’s human resources to respond to the question.
A: Fields responded that yes, Freilich was accurate, and RTA does in fact just hire fewer people. Also, they recently changed to a lot of drivers being part-time instead of full-time to help effectuate these changes. And they anticipate doing the same through 2027.
Railcar Replacement Program
Michael Schipper – RTA’s deputy general manager of engineering
Scope:
- Contract awarded 2023.
- 54 railcars ordered.
- Current cars (light and heavy rail) are both over 40 years old.
Budget:
- $15 million in reductions to total budget.
- In the new budget, about $35 million is contingency money, with $15 million being unallocated contingency money.
- The other $20 million is embedded as allocated contingency money.
- Reduced from 60 to 54 new railcars, saving about $20 million.
- Existing infrastructure upgrades (design and construction).
- Increase in administrative costs; decrease in force account costs.
- Unallocated contingency has decreased due to being allocated to other budget categories.
- Grants from the government usually take about a year to get deposited; still waiting on some to come in.
- Funding summary shows over half of the funding is from federal sources, including the Federal Transit Administration/U.S. Department of Transportation.
- 97% of funding has already come in, so they feel really good about their budget.
Terry said there is a public misconception that RTA spent $435 million of its own money on new railcars. And she said she is glad to have the graphics showing where the money comes from. The amount of federal investment that has been provided is “nothing to shy away from.” She said this points to the federal government basically saying that Cleveland should have a modern, safe, updated transit system. She said hopefully people will see that the federal government has invested so much in Cleveland and agree that we need to also invest in ourselves.
About three-quarters of the funding is coming from other sources, confirmed Schipper.
Gautam said there will possibly be money coming back in when the railcar budget no longer needs its contingency amounts, which ultimately are a cushion. And to simplify the return on investment (ROI) terminology — if someone said you put in 25% and you get an asset worth $435 million coming back to you, “I’d make that deal any day of the week.” That scenario is equivalent to the investment that RTA has made in the new railcars.
Whigham agreed that the return on investment is great on this project.
New railcars
Casey Blaze – RTA manager of rail equipment
- New railcars are in various stages of assembly, installation, verification and testing.
- One is in final detail, receiving decals and polishing, getting ready for final inspection.
- Key scheduling milestones:
- First railcar delivery in Cleveland – September 2026.
- Begin Red Line service with new railcars – August 2027.
- Begin Light Rail service with new railcars – August 2028.
Rail car questions and answers
Q: Board Chair Paul Koomar asked what the procedure is for testing the vehicles once they arrive and what the lag is between being received and getting those operational.
A: Blaze said all the vehicles will arrive into the Brookpark rail yard, and they have to go through a series of tests. The first three will receive different testing than the remaining 51. For five weeks, RTA will run them through rigorous testing with weights, test brakes and propulsion, and do a wide variety of other tests. They will also be installing a snow plow. The final test is called a burn-in, and they travel 1,000 miles and make sure there are no defects or major faults (something that would take the vehicle out of service). So once cars clear that test, then they are conditionally accepted. The warranty begins, and they can be put into service.
Q: Koomar wanted to know if all the cars come online at the same time or if they will be staged over the course of a year.
A: After the operators are trained to operate the new railcars, sometime in August, they will begin construction on the platforms to have extensions added (these cars are narrower than the old ones). Once the platforms are extended, the former cars can no longer use them. So that will be the cutover at that moment.
Q: How many will come each month?
A: Two or three per month until the end of 2026. Then it will be two per month until the 54th one is delivered in 2029.
Q: Board Member Emily Harper asked if there are any plans for public viewing or some kind of fanfare about the delivery of these railcars. Lots of people are excited and asking about it, she said. And this is the kind of thing that propels people to the ballot box. “We’re only investing a quarter of our money at worst for this incredible upgrade to our infrastructure and our service. Imagine what we could do with more.”
A: Schipper said the marketing team is working on that. But really, they don’t want to get ahead of themselves. They don’t know what day it is coming until it ships out from Sacramento. They can’t have a big deal the day it gets here because there are things that need to be done before they show it. They will be doing tests of the platform upgrades to make sure they schedule the shutdowns properly next summer. So there will be opportunities to see the cars at Tower City during that time. He cautioned to not start down that road about publicity until the first car is here. He confirmed that he knows there is a lot of interest but recommended to not schedule events until they know they have the cars here and structured properly.
Q: Terry encouraged everybody to keep an eye out for updates, because they are definitely doing marketing and events, just not sure on the dates yet. Also, she will be traveling with various other staff to Sacramento to inspect the first new railcar before it ships out. She asked Sharon Jenkins, RTA’s director of marketing, to share what she knows.
A: Jenkins responded that Siemens, the manufacturer, will be taking pictures and hopefully will give RTA something to share publicly. Also, when the cars are delivered, they will be covered in white plastic, so there will be nothing to see at first. The official unveiling will be limited, as will the walkthrough before testing. But there will be hands-on controlled events, most likely in Tower City.
Q: Terry asked when people will get to see these new railcars, even if it is from a distance while they are in testing.
A: Blaze said they will be visible from I-71 near Brookpark Station in October of this year.
Q: Terry asked Schipper where the unused contingency funds go back to: operations or capital? “Capital,” he said.
The Committee of the Whole meeting adjourned at 10:15 a.m.
Board of Trustees meeting
Roll was called, a quorum was confirmed, and the minutes of the prior three meetings were approved.
Public comment
10:15 a.m.
Stephen Katanovik said Steelyard Commons is important to people who live on the East Side and lack good grocery stores. The routes that go there from the East Side are very important, he said. He also said the speakers in some of the buses are over-amplified and are too loud. He read out some specific coach numbers, including 3853, 4228, 3804, 4202, 3331, 4205 and 4114.
10:18 a.m.
Kevin Hinkle, a longtime commuter, said political candidates and representatives should come to these meetings, ask questions and talk about what their plan is for how they are going to make improvements for public transit.
10:20 a.m.
A wheelchair user said she rode the light rail at Shaker Square station for the first time last month and wanted to compliment the staff members for being so helpful because she was new to riding.
10:24 a.m.
Loh, an advocate and frequent commenter at meetings, expressed concern that future grants may not be guaranteed — that they could be awarded and then taken away just because a politician feels like it. Loh would like the board to recommend RTA put the levy on the November 2026 ballot instead of in 2027 because, in 2027, it would cost extra money and hassle to get it in front of the people. Having the levy on the ballot in November this year would get more people voting and save money, Loh said. [Editor’s note: The levy is set to be on the May 2027 ballot.]
One caller was on the phone. Airric Stewart asked for Blaze and Schipper and wanted to know if they were still there to listen. Their presence was confirmed. Stewart asked about alternative fuel sources, like electric power, and if that option has been explored. Stewart also asked if there has been a cost analysis on heavy vs. light rail. Stewart also asked about the cost of building bus shelters. He said he has been saying repeatedly that the #15 bus would be better as a 30-minute service route on weekdays and finally is hearing that will be happening. He asked that if RTA is not responding to the public, what is the purpose of these public forums? He also wanted to know if there are engineers and mechanics going on the trip to Sacramento. And if not, why?
At 10:35 a.m., Koomar interrupted and ended the call because the two-minute time period was up.
The board answered some of the questions. The new railcars are all electric, and gas was not considered. Terry said they have a very capable team that has quite a few engineers going to Sacramento with her.
Adam Rossi of Cleveland Heights wrote online that he was concerned about the budget shortfall and service reductions and he believes that RTA needs more time to advocate for the tax levy.
An online commenter from Richmond Heights said they have observed a decreased quality of transit on the Red Line.
Comments will be in the minutes for this meeting.
10:39 a.m.
Introduction of new employees and announcement of promotions
Ida Marshall, senior manager of talent acquisition for RTA spoke.
Lots of new hires and retirees were named individually with pictures presented on slides.
- About 740 years of combined experience of all the retirees this quarter.
Photos were taken of the retirees who attended this meeting. Memorable remarks, stories and words of wisdom were requested.
The first retiree said the work was easy because he liked talking to people and helping people.
The second retiree said she was “blessed by the best. Thank you, Jesus.”
The next retiree said they have seen “the best and worst of humanity on these buses” over the years. And the strangest thing he ever saw on the job was a deer walking down the empty streets on East 12th Street and Superior Avenue. That was during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.
10:48 a.m.
Resolutions
Introduction of resolutions, which were all approved, as summarized on the agenda:
- 2026-44 – EXPRESSING CONGRATULATIONS TO THE EMPLOYEES OF THE GREATER CLEVELAND REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY WHO RETIRED DURING THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2026
- 2026-45 – AUTHORIZING CONTRACT NO. 2026-36 WITH BROWNING-FERRIS INDUSTRIES OF OHIO, INC., DBA REPUBLIC SERVICES TO PROVIDE TRASH COLLECTION AND REMOVAL SERVICES IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $223,086.42 FOR A PERIOD OF THREE YEARS WITH TWO ONE-YEAR OPTIONS IN AMOUNTS NOT TO EXCEED $79,374.77 AND $82,082.87, RESPECTIVELY, FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $384,544.06 FOR A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD (GENERAL FUND, CENTRAL FACILITIES MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT BUDGET)
- 2026-46 – AUTHORIZING CONTRACT NO. 2026-071 WITH HARSCO METRO RAIL, LLC FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF A PRODUCTION/SWITCH TAMPER IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $1,950,000 (RTA DEVELOPMENT FUND, FLEET MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT BUDGET)
- 2026-47 – AUTHORIZING CONTRACT NO. 2026-44 WITH GILLIG LLC FOR THE FURNISHING OF REMANUFACTURED BRAKE CALIPER ASSEMBLIES, AS SPECIFIED AND AS REQUIRED, FOR A PERIOD OF TWO (2) YEARS IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $458,560 (GENERAL FUND, FLEET MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT BUDGET)
- 2026-48 – AUTHORIZING CONTRACT NO. 2026-011 WITH ETC INSTITUTE TO PROVIDE SURVEY SERVICES IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $658,122 FOR A PERIOD OF THREE YEARS AND IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $219,374 FOR EACH OF TWO OPTION YEARS, FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $1,096,870 FOR A FIVE- YEAR PERIOD (GENERAL FUND, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT BUDGET)
- 2026-49 – AUTHORIZING CONTRACT NO. 2026-062 WITH K&J SAFETY AND SECURITY CONSULTING SERVICES, INC. FOR PROJECT 20.65 – CONSULTING SERVICES FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY CERTIFICATION FOR GCRTA RAIL TRANSIT PROJECTS IV IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $650,000 FOR A PERIOD OF THIRTY-SIX MONTHS (RTA CAPITAL AND/OR DEVELOPMENT FUND, ENGINEERING & PROJECT DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT BUDGET)
- 2026-50 – AUTHORIZING THE GENERAL MANAGER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER TO ENTER INTO AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR STUDENT FARES FOR THE 2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR
- 2026-51 – ADOPTING THE TAX BUDGET OF THE GREATER CLEVELAND REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2027, AND SUBMITTING THE SAME TO THE CUYAHOGA COUNTY FISCAL OFFICER
- Detailed Fiscal Year 2027 Tax Budget (33 pages)
Ridership
Gautam gave the Secretary/Treasurer’s Report at this point in the meeting.
Pacetti had questions about ridership and revenue (her favorite topic, she said). She asked how reporting revenue works when a train is out of service and riders are given free bus rides, as is happening on the Green Line right now. Gautam said the ridership is separate from the collected fees and both are recorded separately.
Manager of Operations Analysis Rubén Morgan said he does all the ridership calculations and that they still calculate ridership on replacement bus service by utilizing automatic passenger counters. Fares are calculated separately. Pacetti asked how long they have had those counters in service. Morgan said the full fleet has been equipped since roughly 2024.
Morgan said rail ridership on weekdays is half the ridership from pre-COVID-19. Weekend bus ridership is already higher than pre-COVID-19. Most other groups analyzed are about three-quarters of pre-COVID-19 levels.
Harper then questioned why we are still comparing today to pre-COVID-19 numbers. She said it looks like “failure” when compared that way, but she doesn’t believe that’s what it is. Gautam responded that yes, they got in the habit of looking at things compared to pre-COVID-19, but they don’t necessarily have to do that.
Morgan pointed out too that a lot of things are delivered now, like groceries, so ridership of course would decrease because of the new way we do things. Also, compared to other cities, Cleveland has increased ridership post-COVID-19 much more quickly.
11:05 a.m.
Terry pointed out that there are sometimes errors in counting riders with the automatic counters, because people might step up to ask a question, be counted, then step off without ever riding the bus.
Terry also said that the federal government has been asking transit authorities to look for certain standards and measures, and RTA has been keeping track of those very metrics, so that is good.
General manager’s report
Terry gave the General Manager’s Report.
- $10 million for construction was awarded for the state fiscal year 2027.
- That money is for the light rail track rehab project and supporting infrastructure.
- It represents an investment in Northeast Ohio from the Ohio Department of Transportation.
In answers to questions Terry has been getting about what RTA is doing to support downtown and the major venues, she cited the high attendance numbers of concerts at the Huntington Bank Field and the Waterfront Line rail service that lots of people ride to avoid congestion downtown.
New RTA podcast
On July 27, episode one of RTA’s podcast “Driving Connections” will be released.
- In it, Terry talks about public transit in Northeast Ohio.
- Hosted by Ron Allen.
Close of meeting
Schipper is retiring after 25-plus years.
- Highly praised for bringing in grants.
- Primary project was to get the HealthLine built. He was brought here to get that project done.
- Schipper related a brief interaction with a rider that touched him, because the rider reminded him that RTA and the HealthLine are here for the people, all the people, not just the rich ones.
A motion was made and seconded for the board to go into executive session, and then there was a roll call vote in favor.
The public was informed that, when the board came back out, they would announce the time of the next meeting and then adjourn.
Terry said there is a cake to celebrate Schipper’s retirement, so eat some! And she wanted to get a photo with Schipper. She said everyone else is dismissed – after getting some cake.
11:26 a.m.
Livestreaming stopped while they were in executive session.
12:02 p.m.
The meeting was adjourned.
The next regular Board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 18 in the board room of the Root-McBride Building, 1240 W. 6th St. in Cleveland. This meeting will be live-streamed on RTA’s Board page (www.RideRTA.com/board) by clicking the meeting date. The public is welcome to attend in person.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at cledocumenters@gmail.com with “Correction Request” in the subject line.
These notes are by Documenter Nani Palmer .
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.
