The last time we caught up with Chris Allen, he wasn’t too pleased with Cleveland’s public transportation system. On May 16, Allen, who was trying to head home from work, was forced to wait in the RTA terminal in Public Square for more than three hours. Transit workers told him he couldn’t take his bike on the trains during rush hour. Or before the start of an Indians game. Or before the Cavs tipoff.
It didn’t even matter that the trains heading out of downtown were empty. Allen would have to wait until well past dinnertime, they said.
Outraged, Allen contacted RTA administrators. And – get this – they actually listened.
Today, spokesman Chad Self confirmed that the RTA will eliminate its no bikes rule. “Right now, there are talks going on in regards to eliminating the rush hour restriction,” Self says. “We may do it for a trial basis, and if works out, we may do it longer.” – Denise Grollmus
This article appears in May 30 – Jun 5, 2007.
By writing that RTA officials “actually listened,” certainly misleads your many readers. RTA was one of the first transit systems in the nation to offer a customer service guarantee (“Ride Happy or Ride Free”), and there is an in-house monitoring system to assure that every complaint is investigated and responded to. We realize that for many customers, RTA is a choice, and we want them to keep riding. If the complaint warrants it, RTA General Manager Joe Calabrese may hop on the route in question and check it out himself (he uses public transit several times each week). So, the norm is that RTA listens. The fact that we have bike rules in place occurred because we listened to the cycle community.
I wish they took other complaints as seriously. I am tired of the RTA buses cutting me off in traffic. I know they have to make it to their bus stops, but I also have to make it home safely. Saving 5 seconds versus saving my life doesn’t make sense. I have emailed and called RTA to complain and have yet to hear anything good from them.