Jan. 23: Board of Trustees, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Covered by Documenters Natalie Bryan (notes), Dorothy Ajamu (notes) and Prerna Agarwal (live-tweets)
Write what you know
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s Board of Trustees recognized more than a dozen employees who had retired at the end of 2023. One of the retirees, Crystal Hill, announced that she has written a book about her experience as a bus driver.
“Although it’s a small book and I’ve been here 34 years, this is a condensed copy. So there is gonna be a part two. The saga continues,” said Hill, who dedicated the book to bus drivers around the world.
Hill said her book is set to be released on Feb. 27. Some may recognize Hill from her newsworthy appearance as Tina Turner when downtown trolley drivers dressed up for the 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
RTA ridership stats
Although overall RTA ridership is down about 31% since 2019, the transit agency has seen small but steady growth. Ridership increased about 16% in 2023 compared to 2022, marking the second year in a row that ridership increased over the previous year.
RTA had about 22 million riders in 2023. But more than 32 million people rode the RTA in 2019, according to an economic report presented in this meeting.
Communication gridlock
Some residents were unable to give public comment due to technical issues. The board asked one of the callers to try emailing.
Near the end of the meeting, one resident appeared in person to express frustration with what he said is a lack of communication from RTA when it comes to removing transit stops and informing riders of the presence of utility workers.
Interested in serving on the RTA’s Civilian Oversight Committee?
The RTA seeks two Cuyahoga County residents to serve on its Civilian Oversight Committee. The committee is responsible for reviewing complaints against transit police employees.
Click here to learn more about the committee and the role’s requirements.
Read more from Documenter Dorothy Ajamu:
Read the live-tweet thread from Documenter Prerna Agarwal:
Suggested Reading
How the RTA is making public transit safer
RTA introduced ambassadors and co-response teams to its police department a year ago in September of 2022. I thought the one-year mark was a great opportunity to talk to team members and learn how the program works.