Cleveland RTA marks 50 years as ridership grows

The latest: RTA celebrated its golden anniversary this past weekend, spotlighting the evolution since its founding in 1974 and service launch the following year.

• To mark the milestone, RTA mechanics restored a 1965 General Motors "New Look Bus" — a fixture on Cleveland streets back in the '60s and '70s.

👉 Back then, standard bus fare was just 25 cents.

By the numbers: Ridership across RTA services — bus, rail, bus rapid transit and paratransit — has steadily increased since the pandemic-era low of 2020.

• Riders took nearly 25 million trips in 2024 — up 11% from 2023.
• Yes, but: That figure still trails the 32 million rides RTA logged in 2019.

What's next: The next era of RTA is already on the horizon.

• A new Rapid Transit fleet — manufactured by Siemens Mobility in Sacramento — is expected to arrive next summer for testing.
• The first cars are set to debut in 2027.

🤔 What we're watching: What's the gas price threshold at which Clevelanders ditch their cars for transit?

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