Cleveland transit agency names Caver deputy GM of operations

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) has appointed Floun'say Caver as deputy general manager of operations.

Caver fills the position vacated by Michael York, who retired last week. Caver joined GCRTA in 2000 and left in 2002 to earn a doctorate degree from the University of Texas at Dallas. He returned in 2006 as GCRTA's manager of budgets.

GCRTA conducted a nationwide search to fill the position, said Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Joe Calabrese in a press release.

Caver's technical knowledge of the bus and rail industry, and his ability to lead and inspire others, made him the agency's No. 1 candidate, Calabrese said.

Caver is the creator of the TransitState performance management initiative, which has helped reduce costs, improve processes and change work culture at GCRTA, agency officials said.

TransitStat is an adaptation of New York City's CompStat and Baltimore's CitiStat programs. Caver also created GCRTA's management trainee program.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) announced late last week that the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee will provide $5.85 million to help update GCRTA's radio communications system.

The system connects the agency's bus, paratransit and rail systems, according to a press release issued by Brown's office.

"Our current system is obsolete and parts availability has been so difficult that we were sometimes shopping on Ebay for discontinued parts," Calabrese said. "This grant will allow us to update our entire communications system and bring it into the 21st century to improve the quality of our service and the safety of our customers."

Updating the communications system will enable GCRTA to provide reliable real-time arrival information for riders.

The total cost of the upgrade is $18 million; other federal funds and local matches will cover the remaining costs, officials said.