CLEVELAND — The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has been awarded $4.2 million in funding from the Ohio Department of Transportation's Urban Transit Program, which will go toward purchasing new 40-foot CNG (compressed natural gas) buses.
GCRTA tries to replace 20 to 30 vehicles a year, according to Mike Schipper, deputy general manager of engineering and project management. Schipper explained that the $4.2 million will be part of a larger order of 40 buses, which will replace older buses.
“As we replace older buses, the newer buses are more reliable, they certainly have all the latest features in terms of our passenger information systems, but the big thing is reliability because the buses we’re replacing are 13 to 14 years old,” he said.
Half of the buses are expected to arrive next year with 20 more arriving in 2026. This funding will cover about five or six of the new buses.
“Our mission is to connect the community, so our services span the entire Cuyahoga County area,” Schipper said. “The people we’re serving are going to work, going to school, going to healthcare or even going to sporting events. We serve the community in lots of different ways.”
This is not the only project GCRTA is taking on. According to Schipper, the East 79th light rail system will be rebuilt, along with the station and tracks at the end of the blue line at the Van Aken District. The W. 117th rail station is currently closed for construction, which he said will reopen in the spring, and a MetroHealth bus rapid transit line is also in the works.
Additionally, in November, the GCRTA was awarded $800,000 as part of the Ohio Workforce Mobility Partnership Program.