CINCINNATI — In the first of several planned public meetings, Metro unveiled its overhaul of several bus routes to the public, seeking feedback, on Monday.
The changes are Phase IV of the region's dominant public transportation provider's so-called "Reinventing Metro" plan.
Austin Lake is one of the handful of people who came to the open house with Metro officials. He said, as a near-daily rider, he wanted to learn about the proposal.
"With Metro being a public service provided to the city, it's very important to listen to the riders," he said. "It wouldn't make any sense if they just ran the routes they wanted."
WATCH: We show you how Metro's bus routes will change
Lake said he saw a lot of sense in the proposed route changes.
13 routes are currently under review, with three seen as the most significant by Metro.
Route 8 plans to better connect Cincinnati to Blue Ash and Silverton by adding rides to and from each end in the morning and evening.
The proposal also includes additional buses running between downtown Cincinnati and Mt. Airy during "crush time," increasing the frequency of pick-ups and drop-offs to the halfway point of the Colerain Avenue Route 8.
In response to a question from the crowd about whether this route would go past Christ Hospital, Metro Short-Range Planning Manager Mark Samaan said the hospital was the main driver behind adding more buses to the route.
"It lets out at about 3:00, and then it's chaos for at least an hour," Samaan said.
Metro also highlighted extended service through Route 37, connecting Cincinnati's west side to the east side.
Service Planner Alex Osborne said the service was happy to announce the route would operate all day and on weekends.
Metro Communications Manager Brad Mason said the changes would be paid for by an increase in funding already passed by voters in 2020.
The service is raising rates for riders on Wednesday, however. Mason said this move was unrelated to the roll-out of public feedback meetings on new routes.
"That's more along the lines of a rising cost of doing business and inflation," Mason said of the rate hikes.
Mason said the adjusted payment programs could save regular riders money long-term, and loyalty programs could help them save as well.
You can still weigh in on planned changes, the rate hikes, and the types of services Metro offers at their upcoming public meetings:
- July 15, 5-7 p.m. — Westwood Public Library meeting room, served by Routes 6 and 21
- July 16, 6-8 p.m. — Blue Ash Public Library meeting room
- July 17 — Virtual meetings
