The Future of Cincinnati Metro: A Call for Leadership That Rides With Us

By Cam Hardy

Cincinnati Metro stands at a pivotal moment in its history. As our city grows and evolves, so too must our public transportation system. With the Reinventing Metro plan underway and increasing investment in regional transit infrastructure, the future of Metro holds incredible potential.

But reaching that potential doesn’t depend solely on buses, routes, or infrastructure, it also must depend on leadership. Specifically, it depends on the visibility, presence, and lived experience of the very people who oversee the system: the Executive Leadership Team at Metro.

Riding the System they lead

Leadership in public transit should never be confined to boardrooms and press releases. To build a system that truly works for the people, executives must step out of their offices and into the buses, and communities they serve. There’s no substitute for firsthand experience.

If the CEO, COO, CFO, and other high-ranking decision-makers regularly rode the routes, interacted with riders, and spent time at transit stops, they would gain deeper insight into the day-to-day realities of their decisions. They would feel the tension when a bus is late. They would experience the gaps in frequency. They would see how service (or lack thereof) affects families, workers, students, and seniors. That kind of insight doesn’t show up in spreadsheets, but it’s invaluable for crafting policy that meets people where they are.

Community Visibility Is Not Optional

The presence of Metro’s leadership in our neighborhoods is not just symbolic but it’s necessary. Communities deserve to know who is leading the system they rely on daily. Visibility builds trust. Engagement builds accountability. Cincinnatians want to see leaders who are approachable, active listeners, and responsive to local needs.

It’s time for Metro executives to attend community meetings not just as presenters, but as participants. It’s time for them to meet with neighborhood councils, ride along on high-ridership routes, and hear from drivers, dispatchers, and maintenance staff. These touchpoints aren't “extras” they are foundational to equitable and effective leadership.

A Public System Must Reflect Public Voices

Transit isn’t just about moving people but it’s also about opportunity, equity, and access. When the C-suite fails to engage meaningfully with the public, the risk is that decisions are made in a vacuum, disconnected from the lived experiences of the riders they are supposed to serve. That gap can lead to misallocated resources, underperforming routes, and service that doesn’t reflect community priorities.

But when leadership is visible, accountable, and immersed in the system’s daily operations, the entire organization benefits. Culture changes. Decision-making improves. Trust builds. And the public begins to see Metro not as a distant agency, but as a partner in their daily lives.

A Challenge and an Invitation

To the current and future members of Metro’s executive leadership: ride with us. Listen to us. Learn from us. Your vision matters but so does your presence.

The future of Cincinnati Metro is not only about what’s on the horizon in five or ten years. It’s about how you show up today. Because how you ride with us will shape how we move forward together.

Cam Hardy is a public transit advocate, lifelong Cincinnatian, and frequent Metro rider working to ensure equitable, transparent, and rider-centered transit policies in our city.

Metro's New Bus Fares

By Andy Shenk

Earlier this evening, I attended Metro’s public forum on proposed fare changes, effective July 16, 2025.

Here’s the rundown:

1) Local fares will increase to $2.20 per ride or $4.40 for a day pass (up from $2 and $4). All express buses will now cost $3.00 per ride or $6.00 for a day pass (an increase for Hamilton County service, but a decrease for other suburban routes).

2) If you use the Transit App or buy a new reloadable smart card from Metro, you will never pay more than $4.40 per 24-hour period or $88 per 30-day period.

• I love this change the most. No more debating whether or not a single-ride or day pass makes the most sense when you buy your ticket on the app. Instead, you just scan your app and Metro will make sure your fares are capped.

3) Riders can take advantage of a new loyalty program through the Transit app.

• I love this too. I just activated my loyalty account and already received a free pass. You can earn points by riding, filling out surveys, referring friends and more. Anything to encourage more bus loyalty is great in my book.

4) MetroNow! rides will now cost $2.50 instead of $2.00.

• I haven’t used MetroNow! myself, but I would love to see a day pass option for MetroNow! Currently, you pay separately for a MetroNow! fare and a regular Metro bus fare. I think you could offer a combo day pass for $7-8 that would appeal to a lot of riders and save them some money.

Thoughts:

Overall, I think the changes are okay. I don’t like the idea of increasing bus fares, but I do like the incentives that cushion the blow.

At the same time, Metro is making it clear that there will be more (moderate) fare increases in the future. Again, I don’t love that, but if they can continue to improve fare payment options and reward loyal riders, that’s a positive.

In addition to the loyalty program, I would like to see the monthly cost reduced. Under this plan, it’s set to increase from $80 to $88 per month. I think we should further incentivize loyal riders and reduce monthly fares to $75. Metro should be doing everything it can to motivate people to ride as much as possible and discounting monthly passes is one of the best ways to do that.

What I wish had been included:

Most importantly, as I detailed in an earlier blog post, Metro needs to re-evaluate its child fare policy. With kids 3-5 paying half fare and kids 6 and up full fare, Cincinnati charges kids more than almost any other peer city.

Six year olds should not have to pay $2.20 to ride the bus, period. We can do better. I would like to see Metro partner with the local business community to cover lost revenue and make sure kids can get on the bus for free or for much cheaper.

My proposal would be free for kids five and under and half fare for kids 12 and under with the option to receive an even cheaper pass for kids 12 and under enrolled in CPS.

As a parent with small children, there is incredible value to letting your child learn about their city on the bus and I want every family to have that same experience.

Finally, Metro should make it possible to pay by tapping your credit card as soon as possible. From conversations with Metro staff, the agency is moving in that direction, but I would encourage them to not wait any longer. Paying with your credit card would make riding the bus super easy for visitors and casual riders and help boost ridership.

Timing Metro's 24-hour Day Pass

By Andy Shenk

Back in the day, when you bought a day pass on the bus it only worked until 2 am of the following day. It didn’t matter if you bought the pass at 6 am or 6 pm.

These days, Transit App lets me use my day pass for a full 24 hours no matter when I activate my ticket.

I love it. Every day when I head out the door I’m thinking through my options. For instance, a couple times a week I use the 20 bus to pick my four year olds up from preschool. The closest stop to my apartment is at 6th and Walnut and the bus arrives around 2:05 most days.

Today, though, I saw that I activated my ticket yesterday at 2:08. Instead of risking having to pay for a new fare, I walked down to Government Square, the stop prior to 6th and Walnut, and hopped on the bus at 2:04. I saved $2 and clocked 4 separate rides on that one pass.

Other days, I can milk up to 6 rides out of a pass. For instance, I might take the bus home from the park with the kids at 5 (ride #1), then catch a 17 later on to Burnet Woods to play disc golf (rides #2 and #3). The next morning, we’ll hop on the 6 to get to school (ride #4) and I’ll finish it off with a roundtrip on the 20 for preschool pickup at 2 (rides #5 and #6).

Not surprisingly, once I activate my day pass, my motivation to ride the bus increases pretty significantly. When I’m by myself, I can cover most of my trips on foot or by bike in 10-20 minutes. But the bus gives me a chance to catch up on texts or scroll social media for a few minutes, which as a stay-at-home dad is always welcome.

What’s your approach to bus fares? Do you have a monthly pass? Do you use cash or stored value cards? Buy one-ride and day passes on Transit?

How much it costs kids to ride Cincinnati Metro

By Andy Shenk

My kids are growing up, now ages 6, 4, and 4. We ride the bus most days, mostly for school, but also for everything else, from haircuts to doctors to Pokemon stores.

To ride Metro, kids 3-5 pay $1 and kids 6 and up pay the full $2 fare. It adds up for a family of five, so I poked around other American bus systems to see how Cincinnati compares to its peers.

It turns out Cincinnati’s fares are more expensive for families than nearly anywhere else. Here’s a quick rundown of some other cities:

Cincinnati is a clear outlier as the only city that officially charges 3 year olds to ride the bus. Now, in my experience, 3-4 year olds are not always charged and can often ride for free. But the policy is without question out of touch with the rest of American public transportation and needs to be reworked.

Beyond making it easier and cheaper for families to ride the bus together, my hope is that a simplified bus fare structure would increase ridership and make up for most, if not all, lost child fare revenue.

The Better Bus Coalition will be pushing this issue in the months to come and I hope we will have your support.

My dream for Cincinnati

By Andy Shenk

My dream for Cincinnati is to make riding public transportation as easy and intuitive as driving a car.

My dream is for public schools to teach kids about how public transportation means access to opportunity.

My dream is for children in Cincinnati to ride the bus for free.

My dream is for new residents to integrate quickly thanks to a bus system that connects them to everything they need.

My dream is for local elected officials to ride the bus because public transportation is vital to the city’s growth and success.

My dream is for Cincinnati to stake its identity on having the best public transportation system in America.

These are my dreams. What are yours?