Worker shortages and improved safety and security, GCRTA Media Day reveals all

Connecting back to the community it serves has become a main aspect in how the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) is operating as a transit agency. The GCRTA hosted a media day on Dec. 12 to effectively reach its community and to provide a more transparent agenda on new programs and operations aimed at reviving its workforce and improving safety and security in the GCRTA space. GCRTA leadership like Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition Ida Marshall came together to discuss recent updates made to its talent scouting and worker retention strategies and an overview of added safety and security measures. 

A clear voice and a developed team 

The GCRTA is working to grow and retain its workforce through new strategic approaches that better showcase the transit-based career opportunities offered through GCRTA. The agency completed an overview of its messaging to promote GCRTA as a professional and opportunity-based career path. At job fairs, GCRTA now promotes itself as a career-opportunity rather than a job through niche themed events. This verbiage helps to present options for future personal growth as a professional within the transit industry. 

GCRTA hiring managers also completed a review of the job descriptions and titles to clarify what skillsets and services the job would require, helping to make applying for to GCRTA less daunting and simpler.

Messaging within the agency was also altered to better represent already hired GCRTA employees as skilled and capable transit employees with potential for growth. The agency has worked to inform all of its employees of all the job titles that their fellow employees hold within the agency. 

Through a people strategy, GCRTA has helped to create better collaboration between its human resources (HR) department and the rest of its employees. Employees have a better understanding of how the agency operates and who is doing what to make it all happen. Creating this awareness also promotes a sense of comradery within the ranks of GCRTA, notes the agency. 

“We came out of our silos and came together as one RTA,” Marshall said. 

Presentation and consistency matter 

The GCRTA believes it is vital to focus on improvements from within its agency in order to see change from around its transit space.

The agency has also made sure to implement a base appearance for its leadership with matching colors and blazers. GCRTA’s navy blazer with red accents has become something the agency is being recognized by. 

“We went on a campaign to talk about careers in public transportation,” Marshall said. “We have these nice blue blazers and we went out to every community and job fair and you know what people would say when they saw us in our blue? Woo here come RTA.” 

These changes from within GCRTA has already had a positive effect on its community. Marshall notes GCRTA customer service reports show higher levels of satisfaction with the transit services that had been provided to them. 

GCRTA also notes that its hiring levels have greatly improved with 533 new hires this year as compared to last year's hiring of 463 GCRTA employees. 

GCRTA is also working to make being an employee of the agency something worthwhile with competitive wages and a health package that incentivizes employees. 

Safety and security in transit spaces 

At the media day, GCRTA went over some of the enhancements that were made in the past couple years to help improve safety, security and rule following within its transit environment. 

GCRTA is working to connect with riders and bring a fresh face to transit safety and security with programs like its Civilian Oversight Committe. The program operates as a voluntary and proactive effort that offers a space for community voice and input to help enhance accountability through an independent review and investigation of public complaints of alleged misconduct regarding the GCRTA Transit Police Department. 

Through this program and customer service surveys, GCRTA says it began to see that many of its riders didn’t feel safe riding with the agency after numerous reports across the country began to come out regarding police misconduct. People all over the country called for police reform and the GCRTA notes it was all ears. 

With the hope of promoting a more comfortable transit space, the GCRTA launched its Transit Ambassador program. The program aimed to help riders and community members feel safe and secure while reducing tensions in the months following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. This program has shown success in improving customer satisfaction, according to GCRTA’s recent wave of surveys. 

“After the George Floyd incident, calls for defunding the police were out there and they were pretty loud,” GCRTA Transit Police Chief Deirdre Jones previously told Mass Transit magazine. “What I believe is that we should not defund the police, but restructure how we do our community engagement.” 

The agency has also focused on creating an environment of accountability in terms of police reforms and tactics. Chief Jones specified that police reform mandates are quickly spreading and GCRTA has taken initiative to get ahead of the game. Transit police working with the GCRTA are now equipped with Motorola Watch Guard body cameras to document police interactions around the transit space. This serves as protection not only for riders but also for the police in the event of an emergency. The body cameras were implemented in July 2023. Camera footage is checked monthly as a standard practice or in the event of an altercation or dispute. 

One other tool GCRTA is leveraging is its license plate readers to track traffic violators and speeders. These readers were implemented to help maintain a safer environment for riders, pedestrians and GCRTA operators in December 2022. 

Through these collective efforts, GCRTA is working with its community to cater to its needs through improved services and safer transit environments.