As the State Abandons Public Transit, Is a Regional Solution Possible for Northeast Ohio?

Transit advocates are sounding alarms in Ohio about the level of state support for public transit. "At the turn of the 21st century, more than $40 million from the state's coffers went toward public transit — a figure that has dramatically slid to roughly $7 million," reports Timothy McGaw.

Transit agencies are facing another substantial loss if funding "because of the likely cutoff of Medicaid managed-care organization sales tax revenue (thanks to a change in federal regulations)," according to McGaw. Transit agencies do not expect relief from the state, and regional organizations have posed a challenge for Northeast Ohio throughout history. Joseph Calabrese, CEO and general manager of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, is quoted in the article saying that he expects discussions about new regional transit powers to pick up, however.

Along those lines, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) is preparing to hire "an outside consultant to explore a regional approach to public transit as well as a formal study of the state of transit across the agency's five-county footprint."

 McGaw's coverage provides an account of the funding and political math facing public transit investment around Northeast Ohio in the meantime.