Riders on Greater Cleveland's buses and trains now must have a transportation destination. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has introduced a new Customer Code of Conduct that requires every passenger to have a destination and exit the vehicle at the end of the line, with refusal potentially leading to removal or a criminal trespass citation.
What the New Code Actually Requires
According to the code of conduct posted on riderta.com, “All passengers must have a destination and must exit the vehicle at the end of the line.” Riders who appear to lack a legitimate transportation destination will be asked to exit the vehicle, and the code states that “riders without a destination will be asked to exit the vehicle. Refusal may result in removal and/or citation for criminal trespass.”
The code also limits consecutive trips on the same vehicle for riders using an All-Day pass. An All-Day pass still permits unlimited rides, but riderta.com specifies it “does not permit consecutive trips on the same vehicle such as looping or taking turnaround rides” — meaning hopping back on the same bus or train car to ride the route again, or riding it straight through a turnaround, isn't allowed even with an unlimited pass.
Camping, Spitting and Diaper Changes Now Banned
Beyond the destination rule, the updated code bans a list of behaviors GCRTA says undermine safety and basic respect on its system. Riders are prohibited from camping in a GCRTA facility or vehicle, and from sleeping or lying down in facilities or vehicles when not riding for a transportation purpose, per the same riderta.com posting.
The code also explicitly bars spitting on a person, facility, or vehicle, along with vandalism — defined as writing, defacing, drawing, or otherwise marking GCRTA property. Changing a diaper inside a GCRTA vehicle is also listed as a banned behavior, as is insulting, taunting, or challenging another person in a manner likely to provoke a violent response, and using unreasonable noise or grossly abusive language toward anyone.
Violations Could Mean Removal or Criminal Charges
GCRTA says the stakes for ignoring the rules go beyond a stern word from a driver. “Failure to comply with the Code of Conduct may result in a person being removed and/or suspended from GCRTA's facilities and services as well as criminal prosecution, where applicable,” the agency states on its website. GCRTA Police Chief Deirdre Jones said the authority takes employee and customer security and safety seriously, and that the code was reinforced to help ensure respect and a safe transit experience for everyone on the system.
GCRTA's code of conduct page points to several sections of Ohio law covering misconduct on public transit, including Ohio Revised Code sections 2909.04, 2911.21, 2917.11, and 2917.41. Under Section 2917.41, a person must not fail to comply with a lawful order from a public transportation system police officer, or resist, obstruct, or abuse that officer while performing official duties.
Safety Concerns Follow Recent Violence on the System
The new code arrives against a backdrop of safety concerns that have dogged Cleveland's transit system in recent months. As Cleveland.com reported in announcing the code, GCRTA has framed the changes as aimed at improving safety and respect across its transit system. Earlier reporting from News 5 Cleveland found that the GCRTA system had seen three violent crimes in two months that left two people dead and one seriously hurt.
That same News 5 report noted GCRTA was working on a policy to ban riders, expected to be released later that year, though no details were given at the time about the policy's criteria or how it would be implemented.
GCRTA Transit Police have also leaned on a crisis-intervention approach alongside enforcement. News 5 Cleveland previously reported the department's crisis-intervention program was created in 2022 and is made up of four two-person teams, each pairing an officer with a social worker. Jones told the outlet she wanted more of those teams but didn't have the staff for it at the time, adding that building trust with people in crisis can take repeated contact: “It will sometimes take 10 to 15 times before that relationship is built,” she said.
How Riders Can Report Concerns
GCRTA is encouraging riders who experience a safety concern to report it immediately to their vehicle operator. The agency notes that its Transit Police can also be reached by phone, and riders can text concerns to 216-575-EYES (3937). The full Customer Code of Conduct and its suspension and expulsion procedure are posted at riderta.com/codeofconduct for anyone who wants to review every listed violation and consequence in detail.
