Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority


The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority is the public transport agency serving Cincinnati and its Ohio suburbs. The agency provides Metro transit bus service, Access paratransit service, and the Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar system in downtown Cincinnati. SORTA replaced the Cincinnati Transit Commission, which operated buses from 1952 to 1973., the agency operates 50 bus routes and facilitates approximately 16 million passenger trips annually.
SORTA 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 14th, 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 dollars a year, which will be split 100/30 between Metro and road infrastructure respectively.
Downtown Cincinnati is also served by the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky, whose transit services extend over the Ohio River into Northern Kentucky.

Routes

SORTA 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 better frequency at the rush hours. Approximately 90% of all trips are made on the all-day routes, 10% on the express commuter routes. In 2012 SORTA released its schedule information in the General Transit Feed Specification, making schedules more easily available to customers.
SORTA also provides school bus services to Cincinnati Public Schools with vehicles from their fleet of transit buses. School bus routes, called Metro XTRA, are technically open to any fare-paying customer. However, they are circuitous, not well advertised, and mostly used by CPS students. School bus routes are not listed in the table below.
SORTA operates the Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar system between downtown and Over-the-Rhine. Cincinnati Bell owns the naming rights for the streetcar until 2026. Service began at noon on September 9, 2016. General fare is $1 for a 2-hour pass and $2 for a 24-Hour pass; however, transfers to buses require paying difference in fares. Tickets can be purchased at ticket vending machines posted at each station.
Routes 29X, and 82X extend into neighboring Clermont County under an arrangement with the Clermont Transportation Connection. Routes 71 and 71X extend into neighboring Warren County under an arrangement with Warren County Transit. Routes 42 and 42X extend into neighboring Butler County under an agreement with Butler County Regional Transit Authority.
NumberRoute nameService DaysGarage
1Mt. Adams- Eden ParkMonday - FridayQueensgate
2XMadeira ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourBond Hill
3Montgomery Job ConnectionMonday - Friday During Rush HourBond Hill
3XMontgomery ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourBond Hill
4Kenwood - Blue AshMonday - SundayBond Hill
4Ridge RoadMonday - SundayBond Hill
4Silverton - Blue AshMonday - FridayBond Hill
4NorwoodMonday - Friday During Rush HourBond Hill
6Queen CityMonday - SundayQueensgate
11Madison Road - OakleyMonday - SundayBond Hill
11Erie Avenue - Hyde ParkMonday - SundayBond Hill
11Madison Road - Fifth ThirdMonday - Friday During Rush Hour.Bond Hill
12XMadisonville ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourBond Hill
14XForest Park ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
15XMt. Healthy ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
15XDaly Road ExpressWeekdays During Rush HourQueensgate
16Mt. HealthyMonday - SaturdayQueensgate
17Seven HillsMonday - SundayQueensgate
17Mt. AiryMonday - SundayQueensgate
17Mt. HealthyMonday - SundayQueensgate
17NorthgateMonday - SaturdayQueensgate
19Colerain - NorthgateMonday - SundayQueensgate
20Winton Road - Tri-CountyMonday - SaturdayQueensgate
21Harrison AvenueMonday - SundayQueensgate
23Forest Park Northside Job ConnectionMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
23XTri-County ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
24Uptown - Mt. Lookout - AndersonMonday - SundayBond Hill
25XMount Lookout ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourBond Hill
27Northside - CaseyMonday - SundayQueensgate
28East End - MadisonvilleMonday - FridayQueensgate
29XMilford ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
30XBeechmont ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourBond Hill
31West End - Evanston CrosstownMonday - SundayQueensgate
32Price Hill - Delhi - Sayler ParkMonday - SundayQueensgate
32Covedale - Price Hill via MatsonMonday - FridayQueensgate
33Western Hills - GlenwayMonday - SundayQueensgate
38XGlenway Crossing - Uptown ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
40XMontana ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
41Glenway Crossing - Mt. Airy - Oakley CrosstownMonday - SundayQueensgate
42West Chester Job ConnectionMonday - Friday During Rush HourBond Hill
42XWest Chester ExpressWeekdays During Rush HourBond Hill
43Reading - LocklandMonday - SundayBond Hill
43Bond HillMonday - SundayBond Hill
43Winton HillsMonday - SundayBond Hill
43Evendale - WoodlawnMonday - FridayBond Hill
43RoselawnMonday - Friday During Rush HourBond Hill
46Avondale - ZooMonday - SundayBond Hill
49Fairmount - English WoodsMonday - SundayQueensgate
50Sayler Park - AddystonMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
51Glenway Crossing - Uptown - Hyde Park CrosstownMonday - SundayBond Hill
52XHarrison ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
64Glenway Crossing - WestwoodMonday - SundayQueensgate
67Sharonville Job ConnectionMonday - Friday During Rush HourBond Hill
71Kings Island Job ConnectionMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
71XKings Island ExpressMonday - Friday During AM Rush HourQueensgate
71XKings Island - Fields Ertel ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
72Kings Island DirectSeasonal Queensgate
74XColerain ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
74XColerain Express via BanningMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
75XAnderson ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourBond Hill
77XDelhi ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
78Springdale - VineMonday - SundayBond Hill
78Lincoln HeightsMonday - SundayBond Hill
81XMount Washington ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
82XEastgate ExpressMonday - Friday During Rush HourQueensgate
85Riverfront Parking ShuttleMonday - FridayQueensgate
90Metro*Plus - KenwoodMonday - FridayQueensgate
100Cincinnati Bell ConnectorMonday - SundayElm Street Depot

Ridership

Transit ridership in Greater Cincinnati has generally been on the decline for at least the last several decades. Of particular note, the 2008 recession significantly cut into SORTA's budget, resulting in service cuts and fare increases which seem to have had a very large impact on overall ridership. A few main lines, those running most frequently, account for a majority of all trips, while weekday rush-hour express services account for only about 10% of all trips.
Ridership also varies dramatically by time of day. Almost twice as many people board transit during the peak of either rush hour as do during midday. This phenomenon is also observed on the all-day lines, even if peak-hour-only services are disregarded.
YearTotal unlinked passenger trips
199128,845,617
199227,883,500
199326,009,113
199425,212,426
199523,980,156
199626,456,015
199726,227,001
199828,809,040
199926,383,074
200026,637,640
200125,066,546
200224,615,383
200324,143,526
200423,319,650
200526,158,352
200625,555,566
200726,146,916
200826,072,321
200923,120,952
201019,007,620
201118,957,732
201217,553,120

Stops and stations

Most of SORTA's roughly 5,000 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 the Riverfront Transit Center though it's only used for a layover point for the Metro*Plus route. Passengers are banned from this layover.

Fares

Currently, standard zone 1 fare is $1.75. Destinations outside the city of Cincinnati can cost between $2.65 and $4.25. Transfers are $0.50 extra and can be used on up to two vehicles & expire within two hours of issuance; round-trips or stopovers prohibited. Applicable zone charges may apply if traveling outside of whichever zone the rider has a transfer for.
24-Hour Passes are $4.50 within Zone 1 or $6.30 within Zone 2, plus fare difference if past it. No fare to kids under ; limit 2 per fare paying passenger.
On April 30, 2007, SORTA began a partnership with the University of Cincinnati to provide free rides to its students, staff, and faculty. The partnership was scheduled to last for two years and the initial response to the offer had been positive. Current policy requires students and faculty to pay $1 per ride and can get a transfer for 50 cents, which covers all zones. A similar offer is available to students at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and to Antonelli College students. Students can register for a free card which provide them with a $1 fare for any bus/train ride any direction. University of Cincinnati students and faculty are also eligible to choose this card instead of purchasing the other UC*METRO card.
Riders may also use SORTA's Cincy EZRide App, which is free to download. The app allows riders to plan trips, track a bus, and pay the fare within the app.

Garages and fleet

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.
All fixed-route buses have a bike rack mounted on the front with room for two bicycles.
Garages
Current buses in service at Queensgate
YearManufacturerModelSeries #'sNotes
2006GilligLow Floor6000–6039In the process of being retired. 6003, 6022, and 6023 retired.
2008GilligLow Floor8000
2008New FlyerD40LF8001–8024First order ever of New Flyer buses
2008New FlyerDE40LF8025–8030First order ever of hybrid buses.
2009New FlyerD40LF9012–9031, 9053–90679059 out of service due to severe rear end collision.
2010New FlyerDE40LF9068–9070
2010New FlyerDE30LFR1001–1004Only transit agency to order these. Used on routes 1, 28, 50, and 85.
2011New FlyerDE40LFR1108–11141113 used on Route 90.
2012GilligLow Floor1236–1245
2013GilligLow Floor BRTPlus1301–1310Used mostly on Route 90. Can be on other routes on an as needed basis.
2013GilligLow Floor1321–1330Bus 1322 is currently wrapped as part of Metro’s “MetroStrong” campaign that recognizes all employees that helped to keep Metro moving during the pandemic.
2015GilligLow Floor1526–1537Equipped with Wi-Fi
2016GilligLow Floor Commute1608–1622Used on mostly routes 52X, 71/71X, and 82X. Occasionally used on other express routes on an as needed basis. Equipped with reclining seats, Wi-Fi & power outlets.
2018GilligLow Floor1801–1819Equipped with Wi-Fi and power outlets.
2019GilligLow Floor1910–1934Equipped with Wi-Fi, power outlets and interior camera monitors.

Current buses in service at Bond Hill
YearManufacturerModelSeries #'sNotes
2009New FlyerD40LF9000–9011, 9038–9052
2009New FlyerD60LF9033–9037Articulated buses. Used on routes 3/3X, 43, and 78 on weekdays. Not currently in service.
2011New FlyerDE40LFR1101–1107
2011GilligLow Floor1201
2012GilligLow Floor1202–12351214 out of service due to severe accident.
2013GilligLow Floor1331–1343
2015GilligLow Floor1501–1525Equipped with Wi-Fi.
2016GilligLow Floor Commute1601–1607Used mostly on route 42/42X. Used on other express routes on an as needed basis. Equipped with reclining seats, Wi-Fi & power outlets.
2018GilligLow Floor1820–1830Equipped with Wi-Fi and power outlets.
2019GilligLow Floor1901–1909Equipped with Wi-Fi, power outlets and interior camera monitors.

Future bus orders
YearManufacturerModelSeries #'sGarageNotes
2020GilligLow Floor2001–2025TBDHave arrived, but are not in service. Equipped with improved rear brake lights, flushed windows, on board monitors, and cornering lights.

Public relations

In 1993, SORTA began experimenting with the use of biodiesel. In 2001, SORTA operated about half of its bus fleet on a biodiesel blend. Since September 2005, SORTA has continuously operated its buses with a biodiesel blend. In 2006, SORTA consumed almost 1.8 million gallons of biodiesel made from soybeans grown in Ohio.