Cleveland Real Estate News

My answer is no. I’ve been riding my own route (the #22 bus) and a few others when needed. I’ve been riding since the second week of May and at least twice a week I ride without having my pass swiped on the bus.

RTA is planning their own audit and you can read about it here in a blog post  by Sarah Hollander of the PD.

Sometimes the bus driver has his/her palm over the swiping machine, nodding at me to just get on. Sometimes there is someone ahead of me having difficulty getting a dollar bill accepted and the bus driver motions me (and anyone else in line) to get on.

Friday there was a line of people getting on at 117th and as I sat in my seat I watched the driver waive three or four people by – he didn’t start ‘the count’ again until that pesky dollar a rider was using got accepted.

Yesterday I took the #26 bus from Detroit and 54th to the West Blvd. rapid station. I swiped my card. Since it was Sunday, you swipe your pass or pay your money on the rapid not at the turn-styles. When I got on the rapid I did swipe but I noticed (and I was only on the rapid for two stops) that two other people who got on with me did not and at the W. 117th stop four more riders got on and only one swiped. I was ready for this post even before the PD article because I was wondering about the numbers too, after RTA announced potential cuts last week.

Granted, my daily treks are small potatoes compared to the grand totals, but it all still got me wondering. On the bus, in most cases, when we are told or ‘motioned to’ not swipe and just get on and sit down, it seems to be because the driver is trying to keep the flow going; they see that you have a pass in your hand, in fact sometimes they look at the dates on the pass, presumably to satisfy themselves that it’s a valid pass.

Since numbers crunchers are going to decide if routes get cut, it may be better for the drivers to not make exceptions to the rule?

Peace Out – 3C