Few things divide the student body of John Carroll University more than locality. With students attending from across America, and across the world, there can sometimes be few things that unite students. Regardless of where one grew up, however, there does seem to be a general aversion to the Greater Cleveland RTA.

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA), operates the buses, trains and paratransit routes that crisscross the City of Cleveland and beyond.

Over twenty years ago, the American Public Transport Association ranked Cleveland first, as the “Best large transit system in North America.” Early this year though, Cleveland did not even make the top 10. What happened?

When asked what he knew about safety and cleanliness concerns on the RTA, Thomas Swetz ‘26, who’s from Rochester, NY, mentioned “I have never ridden the RTA for those reasons in particular.” Swetz also mentioned that he would not be open to riding the RTA because of these concerns.

To one JCU student, it comes down to safety. Emilee Riddell ‘25, said, “I have a good time on the Rapid, but have a mixed time on the buses.”

Adding to Riddell’s comment, Emma Arrighi ‘25, who is a frequent user of both trains and buses, said “occasionally there is a weirdo or someone who will get you in trouble but at the end of the day people are looking to just get to their destination.”

John Oliverio ‘25, who commutes to campus and is comfortable on the RTA was surprised to hear about previous awards the RTA had won, as it has always been “just alright.”

When it comes to safety, there were several concerns, especially in the aftermath of three deadly assaults during the summer of 2022 marred the record of RTA transit police. Consequently, their overall supervisor, Cleveland Safety Director Karrie Howard, resigned in part due to these events.

Dorant A. Drummond, the current interim public safety director, said “While an arduous rebuilding journey is ahead of us, I am looking forward to continuing Mayor [Justin] Bibb’s commitment to public safety, and making a positive impact in our divisions, with city stakeholders and, most importantly, in our diverse communities”

Luckily, there are now plans to improve safety on RTA, which includes Bibb’s Rise Initiative. Off John Carroll’s Campus though, there still are concerns as to the extent of connections between downtown and the outskirts of the city.

Clevelanders for Public Transit issued a statement asking for public support at meetings of the County Council, where concerned citizens were to “support significant improvements for future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines, not just on West 25th, but throughout Cuyahoga County.” Their concern was that BRT is only being prioritized downtown, with outer lines that border John Carroll University, such as lines 11, 14 and 41 being more and more ignored in terms of accurate pickup times and bus upgrades.

Though there are numerous complaints when it comes to the current state of RTA transit, there is also work underway as seen at the Warrensville-Van Aken Station. This upgrade meant creating some solutions to these community issues would extend more service into eastern Cuyahoga County. Once these upgrades are complete, the community will be able to judge if they are enough.

Overall, as Clevelanders and non-Clevelanders have found, glaring issues in the RTA have marred its once-distinguished reputation. Yet, if the City of Cleveland and the Rapid Transit Authority have anything to do with it, they will continue to act, hoping to transition RTA to a cleaner, safer and more efficient version of the once award-winning transport authority.