North Olmsted Municipal Bus Line
Encyclopedia
The North Olmsted Municipal Bus Line (NOMBL) was a public transit agency
in Northeast Ohio. The NOMBL was one of the first and one of the oldest municipal transit system's in the United States and was in continuous operation for over 74 years. It served the cities of North Olmsted
; Fairview Park
; Olmsted Falls
; Westlake
; Rocky River
; Olmsted Township; and parts of the west side of and downtown Cleveland
. NOMBL does not refer to a single bus line, but rather a collection of routes which up until 2005 was semi-autonomous but partially integrated into the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
(GCRTA).
In February, 1982 the NOMBL garage and storage facility at 27311 Lorain Road was completely destroyed in a devastating fire. This fire also destroyed four City titled coaches, non-revenue vehicles, records boxes and the entire tire storage area and part rooms. The NOMBL main office and dispatch center in the adjacent two story former police station was left intact along with more current records. The City rented a former car dealership further west on Lorain Road and the entire NOMBL operation was relocated there for approximately eighteen months while a new garage was built at the original site of the destroyed garage.
The integration of NOMBL into GCRTA took place gradually and in several steps, between the years 1975 to 2005. This integration was part of the general trend of integration of city transit agencies into GCRTA. NOMBL and the Maple Heights Transit System were the last remaining public transit agencies to be taken over in Cuyahoga County and remained Divisions of their respective municipalities up until March 20, 2005. The integration of these public transit systems has been the subject of much controversy, attracting the involvement of Dennis Kucinich
, who opposed the integration of NOMBL into GCRTA.
As of March 20, 2005, NOMBL was completely integrated into GCRTA. Approximately 50 employees from the NOMBL were transferred to the GCRTA and were no longer employees of the City of North Olmsted. The remaining employees either retired or resigned from their positions prior to this acquisition and integration. The former NOMBL garage facility at 27311 Lorain Road is owned by the City of North Olmsted and now used for their Service Department and for storage.
NOMBL also provided supplementary services for school students to North Olmsted High School, St. Ignatius High School, St. Edward High School, Magnificat High School, Lutheran West High School and St. Joseph Academy. Services to home Cleveland Browns Football games were also provided from the North Olmsted Park-and-Ride lot by the NOMBL. In year 2004 the final full year of services and prior to be acquired by the GCRTA in March, 2005, it is estimated that over 1.2 million passengers were carried on the routes and services operated by the NOMBL.
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
in Northeast Ohio. The NOMBL was one of the first and one of the oldest municipal transit system's in the United States and was in continuous operation for over 74 years. It served the cities of North Olmsted
North Olmsted, Ohio
-Business:Moen Incorporated, a fixture and faucet company, is headquartered in North Olmsted. CommutAir, a regional airline, has its operations center in North Olmsted....
; Fairview Park
Fairview Park, Ohio
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 420,690 people, 7,856 households, and 4,713 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,742.2 people per square mile . There were 8,152 housing units at an average density of 1,736.1 per square mile...
; Olmsted Falls
Olmsted Falls, Ohio
-External links:***...
; Westlake
Westlake, Ohio
Westlake is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 32,729 at the 2010 census. It is an affluent suburb of Cleveland, Ohio and is located 12 miles from Cleveland's downtown.-Geography:Westlake is located at...
; Rocky River
Rocky River, Ohio
Rocky River is an affluent western suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, United States located in Cuyahoga County approximately nine miles west of Public Square in downtown Cleveland. The city is named for the river that forms its eastern border...
; Olmsted Township; and parts of the west side of and downtown Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. NOMBL does not refer to a single bus line, but rather a collection of routes which up until 2005 was semi-autonomous but partially integrated into the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is the public transit agency for Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and the surrounding suburbs of Cuyahoga County. RTA is the largest transit agency in Ohio, providing over 44 million trips to residents and visitors of the Cleveland area in 2010...
(GCRTA).
Founding & Integration into GCRTA
NOMBL was founded as a division of the Village of North Olmsted in response to the discontinuation of the Cleveland-Southwestern interurban rail system; it began operations at 5:15 AM on March 1, 1931; its revenues on its first day of operation was $24.65. Up until approximately 1972 the NOMBL was able to fund operational costs with farebox revenues. The City of North Olmsted had to begin some financial operating subsidies to NOMBL beginning in 1972 and also applied for financial operating and capital bus purchase assistance from UMTA up until the GCRTA countywide Cuyahoga County 1% sales tax revenues began in September, 1975; in which NOMBL was then reimbursed for normal operating costs. Also, at this time all farebox revenues for NOMBL operated routes were collected by the GCRTA instead of the City of North Olmsted.In February, 1982 the NOMBL garage and storage facility at 27311 Lorain Road was completely destroyed in a devastating fire. This fire also destroyed four City titled coaches, non-revenue vehicles, records boxes and the entire tire storage area and part rooms. The NOMBL main office and dispatch center in the adjacent two story former police station was left intact along with more current records. The City rented a former car dealership further west on Lorain Road and the entire NOMBL operation was relocated there for approximately eighteen months while a new garage was built at the original site of the destroyed garage.
The integration of NOMBL into GCRTA took place gradually and in several steps, between the years 1975 to 2005. This integration was part of the general trend of integration of city transit agencies into GCRTA. NOMBL and the Maple Heights Transit System were the last remaining public transit agencies to be taken over in Cuyahoga County and remained Divisions of their respective municipalities up until March 20, 2005. The integration of these public transit systems has been the subject of much controversy, attracting the involvement of Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
, who opposed the integration of NOMBL into GCRTA.
As of March 20, 2005, NOMBL was completely integrated into GCRTA. Approximately 50 employees from the NOMBL were transferred to the GCRTA and were no longer employees of the City of North Olmsted. The remaining employees either retired or resigned from their positions prior to this acquisition and integration. The former NOMBL garage facility at 27311 Lorain Road is owned by the City of North Olmsted and now used for their Service Department and for storage.
Routes
NOMBL operated five primary routes, with approximately 42 transit coaches, prior to the integration into the GCRTA:- 75X North Olmsted
- 263 North Olmsted Park-and-Ride
- 53 Great Northern-Center Ridge
- 87F Westwood-I-90 Flyer
- 96F Butternut-Hilliard I-90 Flyer
NOMBL also provided supplementary services for school students to North Olmsted High School, St. Ignatius High School, St. Edward High School, Magnificat High School, Lutheran West High School and St. Joseph Academy. Services to home Cleveland Browns Football games were also provided from the North Olmsted Park-and-Ride lot by the NOMBL. In year 2004 the final full year of services and prior to be acquired by the GCRTA in March, 2005, it is estimated that over 1.2 million passengers were carried on the routes and services operated by the NOMBL.