By David Glasier, The News-Herald  POSTED: 09/29/13, 12:17 AM EDT | 

Who rides Laketran?

To answer the question, this reporter paid for rides on five of Laketran’s six in-county fixed routes, two of its five commuter express routes servicing downtown Cleveland and a Dial-a-Ride paratransit run for Kirtland resident Kim Stenger.

The project was undertaken by The News-Herald in advance of the Nov. 5 vote on the sales tax set aside that provides the bulk
of operating funds for Lake County’s regional public transit authority.  Stenger, 35, must use a wheelchair because of the congenital sensory neuropathy that since birth has left her with no senses of touch or feel.

She said access to the Dial-a-Ride service is a key to her being able to go shopping, socialize, keep appointments with doctors and work two days a week in Painesville as a law clerk in the Lake County Prosecutor’s office.

“As a person with a disability, being independent is important to me. I want to live my life like everyone else and not rely exclusively on family and friends,” Stenger said after having her wheelchair carefully strapped into the Dial-a-Ride vehicle by Laketran driver Roger Richardson.  “To people who need this service, it means the world,” Stenger added.   “I will do what I need to do to achieve my goals, and Laketran is an important component of that.”

From his wheelchair, Eastlake resident Charlie Bush voiced a similar determination to use Laketran’s Dial-a-Ride to overcome his disability.  “My first ride (on Laketran) was on Jan. 3, 1987,” said Bush, who volunteers at Lake Metroparks and United Way of Lake County.  “I lived for 22 years without (Laketran),” Bush added. “Mom and a few family members had to take me places. Now, Mom is gone and except for my brother, my family is gone. Laketran is the only way many people get out and do what they have to do.”
Chad Carafa of Painesville makes the short drive every weekday morning from his home in Painesville to Laketran’s Market Street Park and Ride lot in Mentor.

Once there, he boards the No. 10 bus at 7 a.m. or 7:15 a.m. to complete his commute to downtown Cleveland and his job as an adjuster for National General Insurance.  At 4:30 p.m., he’s back on the No. 10 bus bound for Mentor and, eventually, the home he shares with his wife, Becky, and their two children.  “This isn’t me making statements about public transportation or saving the environment,” Carafa said as the fully loaded No. 10 bus made its way down the Shoreway to Cleveland.  “I sat down with a pad and paper and figured I’d be saving money, a lot of it, by using the bus.”

From Laketran’s website, Carafa purchases 31-day passes for $135. With one-way fares of $3.75 spread over 20 work days, Carafa said he’s saving $15 on the bus fare with an estimated total savings of $85 to $100 per month when he factors in the big-ticket costs of gas and parking. Beyond the financial considerations, Carafa said taking the bus is a lifestyle choice. Many of his fellow riders were reading newspapers or books during the ride downtown. Others were listening to music on earphones, looking out windows or sleeping.
“Between not having to sweat the traffic and the wear and tear of the commute, it’s so much more relaxing on the bus,” Carafa said.
“I’m shocked more people don’t do this.”

Essential numbers
Established in December 1974 and in full-fledged operation since July 1985, Laketran in 2012 handled 781,700 riders. On the average weekday, Laketran has 3,000 riders.

One-way fares are $1.75 on fixed routes, $3.75 on commuter express routes and $10 for Dial-a-Ride. There are fare reductions for seniors and disabled individuals on all routes.  Commuter Express riders can lower their costs with the purchase of a 31-day ticket for $135. 

With a workforce of 115 full-time and 52 part-time employees and fleet of 117 vehicles, Laketran’s operating budget in 2013 is $12,959,650.

Money generated by a 0.25 percent set aside from the sales tax account for 60 percent to 65 percent of that operating budget.
In 2012, the set aside generated $7,869,357. That was a per capita average of $33.24 from Lake County’s 236,775 residents.

On Nov. 5, voters in Lake County will decide the fate of Issue 2, Laketran’s request for a renewal of the 0.25 percent set aside.
Issue 2 also proposes to make permanent the set aside and end the practice of putting it up for renewal every 10 years.
All of the Laketran riders interviewed for this story said their will vote “yes” on Issue 2.

“Public transportation is great for the community and good for all commuters,” said Lynn Nestor, a Painesville resident who’s been riding the No. 10 bus to her job at Charter Bank in Cleveland for 12 years.  “My mother relies heavily on Dial-a-Ride,” Nestor added.
“The drivers are excellent with her, caring and generous. We’re extremely fortunate to have this service in Lake County.”

Laketran has another staunch supporter in Dick Kessler, president of the Lake County Society for Rehabilitation.  Kessler said that of the 23 to 25 individuals with disabilities who regularly avail themselves of the society’s twice-weekly adult day services at Mentor Centenary United Methodist Church, only four or five do not use Laketran to get there and back home.  “Public support has to be there (for Issue 2),” Kessler said.  “This county can’t survive without Laketran. For people over 60, it’s that important.”
Issue 2 will not be universally supported.

Jack Ritchie of Painesville wrote: “After all these years of being subsidized, it is time for Laketran to stand on its own two feet.’’
Keith Kokal of Painesville will vote “no” because, he wrote: “Laketran is a waste of money and has been for many years.”
Ritchie and Kokal responded to The News-Herald’s request for email comments about Laketran.

Big picture
Riders encountered on Laketran’s fixed and Commuter Express routes included students from Lakeland Community College, Lake Erie College and Cleveland State University, office workers and employees of a wide range of area businesses.  “You see everybody, you really do,” Carafa said. “There are people wearing suits and people wearing jeans. You see people working at factories, law offices, restaurants and stores. It’s a good mix.”

Ashley Parcell, a 22-year-old Painesville resident and single mother, sat in the Laketran shelter at Great Lakes Mall on a sunny, late-summer afternoon.  Accompanied by her 10-month-old daughter, Delanie, Parcell was soon to board the No. 1 bus for the ride home to Painesville.  “I ride at least four days a week, going to work at Target in Mentor, shopping or to the doctor,” Parcell said.

Matthew Tapassi is the assistant manager of Kitchen Collection at the Great Lakes Mall in Mentor.  A 27-year-old Painesville resident who did two tours of duty in Afghanistan while on active duty in the U.S. Army, Tapassi said he uses Laketran to get to work.
He also takes a Laketran bus to Willowick to connect with the Regional Transit Authority’s No. 39 bus to keep appointments at the Veterans Administration medical center in Cleveland. “This is a crucial service for so many people in Lake County,” Tapassi said.  

Dan Pritchard, an 18-year-old freshman at Lakeland Community College, takes the Laketran bus for the round trip from the Kirtland campus to a stop within walking distance of his family’s home in Mentor-on-the-Lake.

All of Laketran’s fixed routes make stops at Lakeland Community College. Hundreds of Lakeland students avail themselves of the service every weekday, riding free as per an agreement that allows Laketran to use part of the college’s northwest parking lot as a Park and Ride hub.

Judy Zellhofer of Willoughby said she doesn’t own a car and uses Laketran five days a week to get to work and tend to personal business.  “Anything you can do by car, you can do by bus. I wouldn’t be able to live my life the way I do without Laketran,” Zellhofer said.

Many of the riders surveyed for this story lamented Laketran budget cuts of recent years that pared back evening service hours on weekdays and eliminated all Saturday service except during the Christmas holiday season.  Laketran also fields complaints from Dial a Ride users about advance reservation requirements and 30-minute pick-up windows.

“We need to understand Laketran has to work for everybody,” Stenger said. “That’s a small price to pay for independence.”
Another common criticism of Laketran is that buses often appear to be running devoid of passengers or with only small numbers of riders.

Laketran fixed-route drivers Steve Anderson of Painesville, Diana Facemyer of Painesville Township and Glenn Larbig of Madison Village said that while there are times during the middle of the work day when patronage is light, the seats behind them often are full during the morning and evening commutes.