CINCINNATI — As the state of Ohio embarks on its plan to gradually reopen its economy, Cincinnati Metro Friday morning reinstated some of its bus service to accommodate people going back to work.
Metro routes 16, 32, 43 and 51 all resumed most of their typical weekday morning-hour service.
The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority Board of Trustees in late March voted to reduce service to a modified Saturday schedule for all routes and to eliminate service altogether on other routes. The board also voted to suspend fare collection to prevent unnecessary contact between riders and operators, but it later reversed that decision after Metro began installing plexiglass shields to separate operators from fareboxes.
As WCPO previously reported, Metro's modified Saturday schedules for weekday service left some riders working essential jobs without transportation for their commutes.
Metro officials wrote in a May 6 news release that Metro riders should only use the bus for essential trips as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues throughout the region. The transit agency did not indicate when to expect further service increases.
WCPO reached out to the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky to ask when they expect to ramp up their service levels again. A spokeswoman told WCPO by email: "We haven't seen demand spike to warrant going back to regular weekday service levels yet, but once that demand is there, we will get back to regular service levels."
