Public transportation (Cleveland, Toledo, Akron: renting, hotel, transfer)

[billm201]

What are you guys opinions on public transportation in Cleveland? As I said in my last post, I am relocating for work and will not have a car with me. Unfortunately my job entails me going to colleges in North Ohio most likely - Case, Cleveland State, Kent, Akron, Toledo, Bowling Green, Oberlin, etc. For the Cleveland colleges I don't think taking the rapid is that bad.

What are your opinions on the buses Cleveland to Akron? I have heard taking public transportation (or Amtrak) at night is not the best idea so the train to Toledo is out. Is the Megabus a decent crowd?

Am I going to break the bank or go insane without a car going to a college once or twice a week?

[BelieveInCleve]

I just posted this in the US General forum and think it would do good here also:

The RTA in Cleveland was named "North Americas Best Public Transportation System" in 2007: Newsroom - News & Updates | Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

We have 1 rapid line (Red Line), and 2 light rail lines (Blue and Green Lines): They reach most areas of the East and West sides of the city. All 3 of them go downtown and the rapid also goes directly to the airport. The other 2 lines also go through some Eastside suburbs, and the rapid also goes through East Cleveland. We are also getting another light rail line (Silver Line) that will go straight through Euclid Ave. from downtown to University Circle: Google Image Result for http://www.urbanrail.net/am/clev/cleveland-map.gif

Euclid Corridor (Silver Line): Welcome to The Euclid Corridor Transportation Project

[loveack]

Originally Posted by billm201

What are you guys opinions on public transportation in Cleveland? As I said in my last post, I am relocating for work and will not have a car with me. Unfortunately my job entails me going to colleges in North Ohio most likely - Case, Cleveland State, Kent, Akron, Toledo, Bowling Green, Oberlin, etc. For the Cleveland colleges I don't think taking the rapid is that bad.

What are your opinions on the buses Cleveland to Akron? I have heard taking public transportation (or Amtrak) at night is not the best idea so the train to Toledo is out. Is the Megabus a decent crowd?

Am I going to break the bank or go insane without a car going to a college once or twice a week?

Depending on where you live...for the sake of argument, we'll say you live downtown (although I wouldn't, but it's an example)

Case: couple buses will get you there
Cleveland State: You can walk

Ok....well....
Kent: I don't know of any public transportation that goes anywhere near Kent

Akron: There is a metro that runs IN to Cleveland during the morning and OUT in the afternoon....not the other way around, but I'm not sure

Toledo: Greyhound? Megabus? Pain in the arse if you ask me
Bowling Green: same as above
Oberlin: same as above

Cleveland is NOT a car-free friendly city. You'll be renting cars for sure with the colleges in NW Ohio, that's for sure. Unfortunately we don't have something like ZipCar or CarShare....

[JR_C]

Originally Posted by loveack

Ok....well....
Kent: I don't know of any public transportation that goes anywhere near Kent

Here is Portage county's transit website: (KSU is in Portage county, and I would guess there would be connections to Akron's transit system)
PARTA

Akron: There is a metro that runs IN to Cleveland during the morning and OUT in the afternoon....not the other way around, but I'm not sure

I don't know what the typical mass-transit options are, but I know there is a Greyhound that runs from Cleveland to Akron fairly regularly. (as regularly as is possible with Greyhound)

Cleveland is NOT a car-free friendly city. You'll be renting cars for sure with the colleges in NW Ohio, that's for sure. Unfortunately we don't have something like ZipCar or CarShare....

I wouldn't know for sure, because I don't drive at all and so don't pay close attention to such things. But, I thought there was such a program in Cleveland?

[costello_musicman]

Originally Posted by loveack

Depending on where you live...for the sake of argument, we'll say you live downtown (although I wouldn't, but it's an example)

Case: couple buses will get you there
Cleveland State: You can walk

Ok....well....
Kent: I don't know of any public transportation that goes anywhere near Kent

Akron: There is a metro that runs IN to Cleveland during the morning and OUT in the afternoon....not the other way around, but I'm not sure

Toledo: Greyhound? Megabus? Pain in the arse if you ask me
Bowling Green: same as above
Oberlin: same as above

Cleveland is NOT a car-free friendly city. You'll be renting cars for sure with the colleges in NW Ohio, that's for sure. Unfortunately we don't have something like ZipCar or CarShare....

i've lived car-free for a while now. And you can get to all those places via public transportation . Case is along two rapid lines. Toledo has Amtrak, megabus, and greyhound. Kent has the PARTA route. and there are ways to get to the others quite easily. only BG, you may have to take a cab from toledo.

[silver42]

It can get pretty expensive if you are going to the NW OH colleges a lot. Greyhound and Amtrak aren't too expensive per ride, but it adds up...and, yeah, if you need to go to BG, you will have to take transportation into Toledo, and then it is about $65+ plus the tip just to take the taxi from Toledo to BG (though I have used a nice, reliable guy who has a shuttle service who will do it for $50 plus tip if you are interested).....and then you have to pay the rate again to get back to Toledo (and that may just exceed the money you're making to go out there!) I needed to do a lot of traveling around Ohio, MI and NY a couple years ago for a couple months when I was without a car and I used amtrak, greyhound, rta and cabs....amtrak is really nice and did not feel dangerous at night. Greyhound felt a little scary at times and was not always reliable. There was one day when a 2 hour trip turned into a 9 hour affair and that wasn't fun at all. Had some bad experience with Cleveland cabs showing up long after they said they'd be there. RTA has been good.

Anyway, it'll be expensive and there may be grief, planning, and waiting, and unexpected delays, (and possibly unnecessary hotel stays, because these run on certain schedules) but it can be done. if it is at all possible to learn to drive, I'd recommend it, living in Ohio

[missmeli0501]

Just buy an old beater car for like $800. It sucks to front that money all at once, but it's worth it in the amount you'll spend for bus tickets/cabs. Gas shouldn't be so bad if you're only going twice a week.

[twange]

Originally Posted by Cle440

We are also getting another light rail line (Silver Line) that will go straight through Euclid Ave. from downtown to University Circle: Google Image Result for http://www.urbanrail.net/am/clev/cleveland-map.gif

Euclid Corridor (Silver Line): Welcome to The Euclid Corridor Transportation Project

This isn't a light rail line, it's Bus Rapid Transit(BRT), which means no rails.

http://euclidtransit.org/rapid_trans...em/default.asp

I'm still p*ssed that they bailed on the light rail for this project. Could have been a real city jewel, that line. And much faster. And cooler.

[orion1778]

Originally Posted by loveack

Depending on where you live...for the sake of argument, we'll say you live downtown (although I wouldn't, but it's an example)

You wouldn't, but many well to do people in Cleveland do. It is an absolutely livable part of town.

Originally Posted by loveack

Case: couple buses will get you there
Cleveland State: You can walk

Not sure if you mean there are multiple bus options or if the trip would require multiple transfers. From tower city the 6 goes basically door to door. Or the Rapid can be taken from tower city to either the University Circle station or the East 120th station. The 7 and 9 also provide service.

Originally Posted by loveack

Ok....well....
Kent: I don't know of any public transportation that goes anywhere near Kent

PARTA goes both near Kent and into Kent.

Originally Posted by loveack

Akron: There is a metro that runs IN to Cleveland during the morning and OUT in the afternoon....not the other way around, but I'm not sure

Metro RTA runs both directions during both rush hours.

Originally Posted by loveack

Toledo: Greyhound? Megabus? Pain in the arse if you ask me
Bowling Green: same as above
Oberlin: same as above

Megabus runs 3 buses a day to Toledo. One morning, one afternoon, and one evening. Greyhound runs more often, but has more stops, takes longer, and is usually more expensive.

Originally Posted by loveack

Cleveland is NOT a car-free friendly city. You'll be renting cars for sure with the colleges in NW Ohio, that's for sure. Unfortunately we don't have something like ZipCar or CarShare....

Cleveland does have City Wheels - a car share program that is still on the small side, but growing.

As costello_musicman posted, Cleveland can be friendly to non-car owners. Your post contains a lot of factual errors; I think if someone understands transit and how it can be integrated into their lives they can live perfectly happily in Cleveland without a car.

[loveack]

Originally Posted by orion1778

Megabus runs 3 buses a day to Toledo. One morning, one afternoon, and one evening. Greyhound runs more often, but has more stops, takes longer, and is usually more expensive.

Cleveland does have City Wheels - a car share program that is still on the small side, but growing.

As costello_musicman posted, Cleveland can be friendly to non-car owners. Your post contains a lot of factual errors; I think if someone understands transit and how it can be integrated into their lives they can live perfectly happily in Cleveland without a car.

Being a car-free Cleveland native living in San Francisco, I knew my information could have been a little out of date, but I do know that when I come home, it is very hard to get around (Airport -> Olmsted Falls (where my parents are) -> Lakewood(where my friends are))...these are NOT easy cities to travel among. Get me from Olmsted Falls to Lakewood on a Saturday afternoon.....

I know there is Megabus and Greyhound ($60 RT fare + what? a $80 RT cab ride.....Zipcar would have cost me about $60 for the day)...and I'm not sure if they have commuter pass programs, but I would imagine that would get awful pricey in the long run....I don't know if the ROI is worth just having a junker.

Sheesh...it's a discussion forum...no need to get all bitter....