{"id":62137,"date":"2026-09-13T01:20:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T05:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/gcrta-delays-additional-service-cuts-after-riders-speak-up\/13\/09\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T01:20:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T05:20:06","slug":"gcrta-delays-additional-service-cuts-after-riders-speak-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/gcrta-delays-additional-service-cuts-after-riders-speak-up\/13\/09\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"GCRTA delays additional service cuts after riders speak up"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is putting the brakes on another round of service reductions<\/a>, giving riders a temporary reprieve after the agency already cut service by 3% in August<\/a>.<\/p>\n

GCRTA CEO and General Manager India L. Birdsong Terry decided Thursday to delay a second round of cuts until after the May 2027 special election, when the agency intends to ask voters to approve a sales tax increase.<\/p>\n

The additional cuts had been expected to take effect later this year and would have reduced service by nearly 5%<\/a>. They were never finalized, but the proposal drew strong pushback during three public hearings in August.<\/p>\n

“My decision was aligned with the expressed views of our riders and GCRTA Board members who attended our public hearings, and who also shared their daily reliance on existing GCRTA service,” Birdsong Terry said.<\/p>\n

For people who rely on GCRTA to get to work, child care, medical appointments and other parts of their daily lives, even a reduction in how often a bus runs can make a difference.<\/p>\n

Ronnie Cannon knows that firsthand.<\/p>\n

Cannon works at Towards Employment, a nonprofit that helps people prepare for jobs, connect with employers and build career paths. The No. 1 St. Clair route stops directly in front of the organization’s building near downtown Cleveland.<\/p>\n

That route was among those facing reduced frequency under the proposal.<\/p>\n

Cannon said he thinks about people who may already be piecing together complicated commutes. “Transportation is vital,” Cannon said, particularly when it comes to giving people stability in their livelihoods.<\/p>\n

That is why Cannon showed up at one of GCRTA’s public hearings in August, and said he was encouraged when the agency decided to listen.<\/p>\n

“It definitely made me feel good,” Cannon said, noting that he regularly tells the people Towards Employment serves that civic engagement is vital.<\/p>\n

For Cannon, the connection between public transit and employment is especially clear.<\/p>\n

Towards Employment has worked with GCRTA in the past. Cannon said the agency has referred people to the organization, while Towards Employment has helped people get jobs at GCRTA.<\/p>\n

He said he appreciates that the conversation about service is continuing into next year rather than moving ahead with another round of reductions this year.<\/p>\n

“We’ve worked with RTA at Towards Employment,” Cannon said. “They actually made referrals to us. We actually got people jobs at RTA.”<\/p>\n

He said the experience reminds people they can make an impact when they participate.<\/p>\n

“If you speak up, things can happen,” Cannon said.<\/p>\n

For now, the nearly 5% reduction is delayed. But the financial pressure that prompted GCRTA to consider additional cuts has not gone away.<\/p>\n

GCRTA said its financial projections have improved slightly because of administrative cost reductions, lower health care expenses and higher-than-expected tax collections.<\/p>\n

Still, Birdsong Terry said the agency’s fundamental financial problem remains.<\/p>\n

GCRTA’s largest source of income is a 1% Cuyahoga County sales tax. Voters last supported that tax in 1975, when the levy passed with 71% of the vote.<\/p>\n

GCRTA’s board has voted to ask voters for a tax increase in the May 2027 election.<\/p>\n

Trustees are expected to discuss the size of that increase at a Sept. 22 board meeting. The amount voters could be asked to approve has not yet been finalized.<\/p>\n

Birdsong Terry warned that if the 2027 ballot initiative fails, GCRTA will need to make deeper service cuts.<\/p>\n

So while riders get a reprieve from another round of reductions, the long-term question remains how the agency will pay for the level of service people across Cuyahoga County rely on every day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is putting the brakes on another round of service reductions, giving riders a temporary reprieve after