Train or bus late? Cleveland transit agency will alert you

CLEVELAND - Ohio&#39;s biggest public transit agency plans an innovative system to alert riders by fax, phone, pager and e-mail to delays. <br> <br> Still, ``The ideal thing would be for it to run on time,&#39;&#39; George Zeller, who rides a train to work in downtown Cleveland, said Thursday. <br> <br> Short of a perfect on-time record, Zeller likes the idea by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority to offer alerts if a rider&#39;s regular bus or train is canceled or running very late. <br> <br> ``You need to communicate with customers about what you&#39;re doing to fix it,&#39;&#39; Zeller said. He is a volunteer member of an RTA citizens board that advises the agency on how to improve service. <br> <br> The alert service, which will begin in the summer in the 59 million-rider RTA system, also is being tested in Atlanta. <br> <br> Riders must sign up and can limit their request, for instance, to information about their bus route and time. Alerts will be limited to major disruptions, such as broken-down buses or blocked train tracks. <br> <br> The RTA also will install electronic signs on platforms to tell riders when the next train will arrive and to offer news headlines, weather and transit updates. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s a valuable thing. It&#39;s analogous to what airlines use at airports,&#39;&#39; Zeller said. <br> <br> The RTA board voted Tuesday to approve a 10-year contract with Mass Transit Network International of Atlanta to run the notification system. <br> <br> The RTA will pay nothing. MTNI will install the signs at 16 stations and share advertising revenue with RTA, which expects to get up to $10,000 a year. <br> <br> Amy Coggin, director of communications with the nonprofit American Public Transportation Association in Washington, D.C., said transit agencies across the country have been expanding electronic messaging. <br> <br> MTNI Chief Executive Officer Paul Bermel said phone messages would be an expansion beyond e-mail alerts offered by other agencies, many of which have schedules and information available on the Internet. <br> <br> Bus and train information will be collected by RTA&#39;s satellite communication system, which tracks buses and trains.