Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority
Overview
Owner	City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
Area served	Hamilton County (in addition provides commuter routes from Butler County, Clermont County, and Warren County into Cincinnati)
Transit type	Bus, Express bus service, Paratransit
Number of lines	26 local 1 limited 20 express
Number of stations	3,800 bus stops[1]
Daily ridership	44,800 (weekdays, Q4 2023)[2]
Annual ridership	13,091,500 (2023)[3]
Chief executive	Darryl Haley
Headquarters	525 Vine Street, Suite 500 Cincinnati, Ohio
Website	go-metro.com[4] Transdev[5]
Operation
Began operation	December 30, 1952 (as Cincinnati Transit Commission)
Number of vehicles	353 transit buses, 46 paratransit vehicles

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) is the public transport agency serving Cincinnati and its Ohio suburbs. SORTA operates Metro fixed-route buses, bus rapid transit, microtransit, and paratransit services. SORTA's headquarters are located at the Huntington Building in Cincinnati’s Central Business District. The agency is managed by CEO and General Manager Darryl Haley along with a 13-member board of trustees. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 13,091,500, or about 44,800 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

Downtown Cincinnati is also served by the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK), whose transit services extend over the Ohio River into Northern Kentucky.

History[edit]

SORTA replaced the Cincinnati Transit Commission, which operated buses from 1952 to 1973. In 2012 SORTA Metro released its schedule information in the General Transit Feed Specification, making schedules more easily available to customers.^[6] The Cincinnati Bell Connector was operated by SORTA until 2019; the City of Cincinnati has since owned and operated the streetcar. Until 2021, SORTA Metro was funded primarily by Cincinnati's city earnings tax, second by fares, and third by federal sources, with some other minor sources. This stood in contrast to other Ohio transit agencies, such as COTA and GCRTA which are primarily funded by sales tax. For a sense of perspective, the portion of Cincinnati's earnings tax going to Metro's budget was about 0.3%. On May 14, 2020, Hamilton County voters passed Issue 7, which switches the source of SORTA funding to a sales tax. The sales tax in Hamilton County will be raised to 7.8% and the Cincinnati earnings tax is eliminated. The levy is projected to generate $130 million a year, which will be split 100/30 between Metro and road infrastructure respectively. The new sales tax rate went into effect on October 1, 2020.^[7] The new funding will be used to implement Reinventing Metro, which is a transit network redesign of its fixed-route services, but also introduces Mobility on Demand and Bus Rapid Transit to the region.

Services[edit]

Fixed-Route

SORTA Metro operates about 40 major fixed bus routes, as well as a demand-responsive paratransit service. Of the major routes, roughly half run only at rush hours and are essentially commuter services, some of them serving the reverse commute. The other half operate throughout the day, and some offer increased frequency during rush hours. Approximately 90% of all trips are made on the all-day routes, and 10% on the express commuter routes.

Routes 29X and 82X extend into neighboring Clermont County under an arrangement with the Clermont Transportation Connection.

Routes 71X & 72X extend into neighboring Warren County under an arrangement with Warren County Transit.

Route 42X was a route that extended into neighboring Butler County under an agreement with Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA). The route was discontinued at the end of 2023. On January 1, 2024, BCRTA started their own route and brand it as CincyLink^[8] that will run from Middletown to Downtown Cincinnati.

Mobility on Demand (Spring 2023)

Throughout 2021 and early 2022, Metro has been developing an accessible, on-demand and localized mobility service, including connections to Metro's network of more than 40 fixed bus routes.

Previously referred to as "Mobility On-Demand," this service will be called MetroNow!, with two zones that launched pilot service in 2023. Following these initial pilot launches, Metro will roll out several additional service zones.

Local Routes Serving Downtown Cincinnati

Number	Route name	Service days	Garage
1	Mt. Adams to Walnut Hills	Monday – Friday	Queensgate
4	Montgomery Rd to UC Blue Ash	24/7/365 Service	Bond Hill
6	Queen City Avenue to West Town Centre	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
11	Madison Road to Madisonville via Oakley	24/7/365 Service	Bond Hill
	Madison Road to Madisonville via Erie Avenue	Sunday – Saturday	Bond Hill
	Madison Road to Madisonville via Oakley/Fifth Third	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush	Bond Hill
16	Spring Grove Ave/Daly Rd to Northgate	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
17	Hamilton Ave to Seven Hills	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
	Hamilton Ave to Mt. Healthy	24/7/365 Service	Queensgate
19	Colerain Ave to Northgate	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
20	Winton Road to Forest Park	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
21	Harrison Avenue to West Town Centre	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
27	Beekman Ave/Linn St to Northside	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
28	East End to Madisonville	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
	River Road to Amazon	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
32	West 8th St to Sayler Park	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
	West 8th St to Glenway Crossing Transit Center	Monday – Friday	Queensgate
33	Glenway Avenue to West Town Centre	24/7/365 Service	Queensgate
43	Reading Road to Sharonville	Sunday – Saturday	Bond Hill
	Reading Road to Evendale via Bond Hill	24/7/365 Service	Bond Hill
46	Avondale to Winton Terrace	Sunday – Saturday	Bond Hill
49	Fairmount to English Woods	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
64	Westwood to Glenway Crossing Transit Center	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
78	Vine Street to Springdale via Springfield Pike	Sunday – Saturday	Bond Hill
	Vine Street to Evendale via Wayne Avenue	24/7/365 Service	Bond Hill
M+	Metro*Plus to Kenwood	Monday – Friday	Queensgate

Local Crosstown Routes

Number	Route name WB/NB	Route name EB/SB	Service days	Garage
5	Blue Ash to Sharonville Plaza	Blue Ash to Oakley Transit Center	Sunday – Saturday	Bond Hill
24	MLK/Beechmont to Northside Transit Center	MLK/Beechmont to Anderson Town Center	Sunday – Saturday	Bond Hill
31	Taft/McMillan to Evanston	Taft/McMillan to Lower Price Hill	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
36	Price Hill/Uptown to Mt. St. Joseph University	Price Hill/Uptown to Norwood	Sunday –Saturday	Bond Hill
41	North Bend Road to Glenway Crossing Transit Center	North Bend Road to Oakley Transit Center	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate
51	Uptown Connector to Glenway Crossing Transit Center	Uptown Connector to Oakley Transit Center	24/7/365 Service	Bond Hill & Queensgate
67	Kemper Road to Fields Ertel Park & Ride	Kemper Road to Forest Park Park & Ride	Sunday – Saturday	Queensgate

SORTA Local Supplemental Routes Serving Downtown Cincinnati

Number	Route name	Service days	Garage
4	Montgomery Rd to UC Blue Ash via Amberley	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush (mid Aug – late May)	Bond Hill
4	Montgomery Rd to UC Blue Ash via Walnut Hills HS	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush (mid Aug – late May)	Bond Hill
11	Madison Road to Madisonville via Oakley / Shroder HS	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush (mid Aug – late May)	Bond Hill
17	Hamilton Ave to Mt. Airy via Belmont Avenue	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush (all year)	Queensgate
33	Glenway Ave to Downtown via Western Hills HS Bypass	Monday – Friday 1 PM trip (mid Aug – late May)	Queensgate

Supplemental Local Crosstown Routes

Number	Route name WB/NB	Route name EB/SB	Service days	Garage
24	MLK/Beechmont to Northside Transit Center via Walnut Hills HS	MLK/Beechmont to Anderson Town Center via Walnut Hills HS	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush (mid Aug – late May)	Bond Hill
31	Taft/McMillan to Evanston via Walnut Hills HS	Taft/McMillan to Lower Price Hill via Walnut Hills HS	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush (mid Aug – late May)	Queensgate
37	MLK/Westwood Northern to Glenway Crossing Transit Center via Walnut Hills HS	MLK/Westwood Northern to Oakley Transit Center via Walnut Hills HS	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush (mid Aug – late May)	Queensgate
41	North Bend Road to Glenway Crossing Transit Center via Aiken/Shroder HS	North Bend Road to Oakley Transit Center via Aiken/Shroder HS	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush (mid Aug – late May)	Queensgate
51	Uptown Connector to Glenway Crossing Transit Center via Walnut Hills HS	Uptown Connector to Oakley Transit Center via Walnut Hills HS	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush (mid Aug – late May)	Bond Hill & Queensgate

Commuter Routes Serving Downtown Cincinnati (Weekdays AM/PM Rush)

Number	Route name	Garage
2	Madeira Commuter to Madeira Park & Ride	Bond Hill
12	Madisonville Commuter to Madisonville	Bond Hill
20	Winton Road to Forest Park via Greenhills Park & Ride	Queensgate
25	Mount Lookout Commuter to Madisonville	Bond Hill
30	Beechmont Commuter to Anderson Town Center via 8 Mile Road	Bond Hill
40	Montana Commuter to Westwood	Queensgate
50	River Road Commuter to Sayler Park	Queensgate
77	Delhi Commuter to Glenway Crossing Transit Center/Muddy Creek Road	Queensgate
81	Mount Washington Commuter to Anderson Town Center	Queensgate

Commuter Crosstown Routes

Number	Route name WB/NB	Route name EB/SB	Service days	Garage
22	Glenway/Madison to Glenway Crossing Transit Center	Glenway/Madison to Madisonville	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush (Madisonville AM) (GCTC PM)	Bond Hill
37	MLK/Westwood Northern to Glenway Crossing Transit Center	MLK/Westwood Northern to Oakley Transit Center	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush	Queensgate
38	Uptown Commuter to Glenway Crossing Transit Center	Uptown Commuter to Mt. Auburn	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush (Mt. Auburn AM) (GCTC PM)	Queensgate
65	Western Hills to Glenway Crossing Transit Center	Western Hills to Northside Transit Center	Monday – Friday AM/PM Rush	Queensgate

Express Routes (Weekdays AM/PM Rush)

Number	Route name	Garage
3X	Montgomery Express to Symmes P&R via Blue Ash Rd	Bond Hill
	Montgomery Express to Symmes P&R	Bond Hill
23X	Forest Park Express to Forest Park Park & Ride	Queensgate
29X	Milford Express to Milford Park & Ride	Queensgate
52X	Harrison Express to Harrison Township Park & Ride	Queensgate
71X	Kings Island Express to Kings Mill via Kenwood/Mason Road	Queensgate
	Kings Island Express to Downtown	Queensgate
	Kings Island Express to Kings Island Park & Ride/Fields Ertel Road	Queensgate
74X	Colerain Express via Joseph Road	Queensgate
	Colerain Express via Banning Road	Queensgate
75X	Anderson Express to Anderson Town Center	Bond Hill
82X	Eastgate Express to Eastgate Park & Ride	Queensgate

Supplemental Express Route (Sunday – Saturday from late May – mid August. Fri –Sun mid August to late October)

Number	Route name	Garage
72X	Kings Island Direct	Queensgate

Reinventing Metro[edit]

With the passage of Issue 7 in the spring of 2020, Hamilton County voters approved a sales tax levy of 0.8 percent and a new funding source for Metro. One example of the new Metro is the Northside Transit Center, which is located in Northside and replaced a basic bus stop. The new transit center, which opened in 2020, features eight boarding bays, each with an architecturally designed shelter and enhanced streetscaping, lighting and amenities. In addition, the transit center features artwork designed by winners of the transit agency's art contest for Northside residents. The contest asked residents to submit designs following the theme, "What does Northside mean to me?” The artwork is displayed prominently on installations at the transit center's entrance and exit. The Northside project was a partnership with the Federal Transit Administration, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and other local stakeholders.

Stops and stations[edit]

Most of SORTA's roughly 3,600 stops are simply marked with a sign on a pole listing routes the stop serves, and are fairly infrastructure-light. Several dozen stops include bus shelters and covered benches. Several suburban stops are park-and-rides. Government Square is the main transit station, located downtown near Fountain Square. SORTA owns and operates several transit centers across the region including the recently constructed Northside Transit Center, Oakley Transit Center, and Glenway Transit Center. SORTA operates the Riverfront Transit Center though it's only used for a layover point for the Metro*Plus route and a stop for route 85.

Fares[edit]

On April 4, 2021, Metro introduced a simpler fare structure.^[9] With this new fare model, base fare increased 25 cents to $2 per ride on all local routes. Express buses are $2.65 within Hamilton County. Certain express routes turned into commuter routes and have a $2 fare. Express routes that go into Butler, Clermont, and Warren County have a fare of $3.75. Zone fares and paper transfers were eliminated. Transfers are only available to those using the Transit app and to 5-ride ticket users. There are several day pass options available to purchase. Mobile fares must be purchased through the Transit app. Refer to the charts for more information. Transfers to higher-cost service require payment of the fare difference. Children under 36 inches ride for free with a fare-paying rider; a limit of 2 children applies.

SORTA fares

Fare type	Price	Half fare	Routes
Hamilton County Local	$2	$1	1, 4, 5, 6, 11, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 24, 27, 28, 31, 32, 33, 36, 37, 41, 43, 46, 49, 50, 51, 64, 65, 67, 78, 90 (M+).
Hamilton County Commuter			2, 12, 22, 25, 30, 38, 40, 77, 81
Hamilton County Express	$2.65	$1.30	3X, 23X, 29X, 52X, 72X, 74X, 75X
Suburban County Express (Clermont, Warren)	$3.75	$1.85	71X, 82X
Access Fare	$4
Metro*NOW Fare	$2 per ride.		No discounted fare.

SORTA passes

Fare type	Price
Hamilton County Local & Commuter 24-Hour Pass	$4
Metro/TANK 24-Hour Pass	$5
Hamilton County Express 24-Hour Pass	$5.30
Suburban County Express 24-Hour Pass	$7.50
5-ride Hamilton County Local & Commuter Service Ticket	$10
Half Fare 24-Hour Pass (Child Fare, Fare Deal, UC, Cincinnati State)	$2
Hamilton County Local 30-day Pass	$80
Hamilton County Express 30-day Pass	$105
Metro/TANK 30-day Pass	$105
Suburban County Express 30-day Pass	$150

Paper transfers are no longer be issued as of 4/10/2021. Zone fare was eliminated on 4/4/2021.

Garages and fleet[edit]

SORTA operates about 350 buses on fixed routes, and about 50 smaller vehicles as part of their 'demand responsive services'. All vehicles in SORTA's fleet are ADA accessible. On average, vehicles in the fixed route fleet are 6.9 years old, and in the demand-responsive fleet 1.4 years. Vehicles in the fixed route fleet are rated, on average, for a capacity and 65 passengers, both sitting and standing.^[10]

All fixed-route buses have a bike rack mounted on the front with room for two bicycles.

Garages

• Queensgate Garage 1401 Bank Street, Cincinnati, OH 45214
• Bond Hill Garage 4700 Paddock Road, Cincinnati, OH 45229

Current buses in fleet

Year	Manufacturer	Model	Fleet numbers	Bond Hill	Queensgate	Notes
2011–12	Gillig	Low Floor	1201–1245	1201–1220	1221–1245	1201 is a 2011 model.
2013	Gillig	Low Floor BRT Plus	1301–1310	None	1301–1307, 1309–1310	Former METRO*PLUS buses. Now used on any route. 1308 retired in 2021.
2013	Gillig	Low Floor	1321–1343	1331–1334, 1336–1343	1321–1330	1335 retired due to fire in August 2022.
2015	Gillig	Low Floor	1501–1537	1501–1510	1511–1525, 1527–1537	1526 retired in August 2022 due to fire damage.
2016	Gillig	Low Floor Commute	1601–1622	1601–1607	1608–1622	Mostly used on express/commuter routes. Can occasionally be seen on local routes.
2018	Gillig	Low Floor	1801–1819	None	1801–1819	1801 has factory installed driver's barrier.
2018–19	Gillig	Low Floor	1820–1829	None	1821–1829	1830 has factory installed driver's barrier. 1824–1830 are 2019 models. 1830 out of service. Last seen 12/10/22.
2019	Gillig	Low Floor	1901–1934	1901–1914	1915–1934	1934 has two different seat types and has digital bus mirrors as a test.
2020	Gillig	Low Floor	2001–2021	2001–2008, 2010–2011	2012–2016, 2018–2021	2009 was renumbered to 2020. 2017 was renumbered to 2021. 2018 out of service after being hit by another driver on 4/3/23.
2020–21	Gillig	Low Floor	2022–2031	2027–2031	2022–2026
2021	Gillig	Low Floor	2140–2170	2140–2154	2155–2170
2022	Gillig	Low Floor	2201–2225	2201–2215	2216–2225
2023	Gillig	Low Floor	2311–2325	None	2311–2325	All buses in service as of 2/16/2024.

Future bus orders

Year	Manufacturer	Model	Series #'s	Notes.
2023	Gillig	Low Floor Hybrid	2301–2310	10 buses due to be placed in service in early 2024.
2023	Gillig	Low Floor Hybrid	TBA	4 buses due to be placed in service in 2025 to replace 4 1300 series buses.[11]
TBA	TBA	Electric buses	TBD	Received $5.5 million grant towards 11 electric buses.[12]

See also[edit]

Adjacent public transit agencies:

• Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA), serving Butler County, Ohio
• Clermont Transportation Connection (CTC), serving Clermont County, Ohio
• Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK), serving Northern Kentucky
• Warren County Transit, serving Warren County, Ohio

Other major public transit agencies in Ohio:

• Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), serving Columbus, Ohio
• Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA), serving Cleveland, Ohio
• Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (formerly the Miami Valley RTA), serving Dayton, Ohio

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Media related to Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority at Wikimedia Commons