City officials want to discuss problems with RTA
By Jeff Gallatin
North Olmsted
Published Nov. 23, 2005

City officials are looking for a special stop by Regional Transit Authority officials in the holiday season to deal with community problems and concerns pertaining to bus service.

Mayor Thomas O'Grady said city officials will attempt to set up a public meeting in early December with RTA officials to discuss problems with service in the city since the regional transit agency absorbed the North Olmsted Municipal Bus Line's routes last Spring after several months of resistance by city officials and residents.

"We'd like to get it set up as quickly as possible in early December so people have an opportunity to voice their concerns," said O'Grady. "We have been made aware of some concerns about different aspects of the service being provided by RTA and RTA told us when it took over the NOMBL services that we could schedule a public hearing at a later date if we wanted to. We're going to take them up on that offer."

Both citizens and officials at the Nov. 15 city council meeting that they've been told of problems with RTA drivers being late for scheduled pickups, driving by passengers without picking them up, getting lost on routes, not having clean buses and speeding through busy areas.

O'Grady said people will have a chance to address those and any other concerns at the public meeting.

"People have to remember that the reality of the situation is that RTA did avail itself of its ability to take over the NOMBL service," O'Grady said. "That being said, they have promised to be responsive to our needs and to work on problems with us. I'm been in contact with Mr. (Joe) Calabrese (RTA general manager) several times since they took over service and have found him to be responsive to concerns and questions we've voiced."

Calabrese said RTA officials will be happy to meet with city officials and residents.

"We want to address service issues when they are there," he said.

Calabrese said he has not heard as many concerns recently as when RTA took over the NOMBL routes and services.

"We heard quite a bit of them at first and then it quieted down for a while, and then we heard some more in late August and September with route changes and other moves," Calabrese said. "I really haven't been aware of as many recently."

City officials said many of the complaints have centered on drivers being late and not knowing their routes. Several people commented that many of the former NOMBL drivers have lost their routes to other RTA drivers with more seniority.

"When you're dealing with a union work force, having to accommodate seniority issues is part of the process," Calabrese said.

Part of the reason other RTA drivers are seeking the old NOMBL North Olmsted routes is the new Triskett garage facility, Calabrese said.

"It's a new place that is desirable for many of the drivers to work in," he said. "As a result, some of the older drivers have chosen to bid on and get the North Olmsted and other routes which have their bases in the Triskett garage.

RTA has given additional training on the new routes to drivers and others have gone out on their own to learn them, according to Calabrese.

"Anytime someone takes on something new there will be an adjustment period while they learn their new responsibilities," he said. "People should see a difference there from when the drivers first started."

Calabrese said he's also aware that the RTA Park-N-Ride in North Olmsted on Great Northern Boulevard is always crowded and frequently has no spaces available.

"With winter coming on, we want to try and deal with this since sometimes in the process of snow plowing spaces get taken in parking lots," he said.

He said RTA officials are trying to find some additional park-n-ride spaces in nearby lots to accommodate drivers. RTA's planned expansion of the lot in coming months will ultimately help ease space problems, Calabrese said.

"It's a very successful lot," he said. "Anytime you have issues like the lot or other ones for riders, it means you have a successful system because people want to ride. So we'll work on these problems."