Tag: Metro

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‘Have a Heart for Haiti’ critical items collection – 2/14

On Sunday, February 14 Metro is challenging Cincinntians to fill one of the transit authority’s new articulated buses with valuable items that can make a positive impact for those struggling to recover from the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12.

Metro officials will be collecting non-perishable food items, personal care items, cleaning products, first-aid supplies, bottled water, and summer clothing (new clothing only is requested). Matthew 25: Ministries, a local non-denominational organization working to help the needy, will also be collecting cash and check donations that will be distributed to those in need in Haiti.

‘Have a Heart for Haiti’ will take place at the Hyde Park Kroger (map) from 12pm to 6pm on Valentine’s Day.

Haiti earthquake damage photo from Matthew 25: Ministries

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News Politics Transportation

SORTA re-elects board members

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) has named the 2010 board members that will oversee the operations and direction of Metro – Cincinnati’s primary bus operator. Both Chair, Melody Sawyer Richardson, and Vice Chair, William Mallory Sr., have been re-elected to their positions.

Richardson has served on the board since 2003 and has acted as SORTA chair since 2007 while Mallory Sr. has served as Vice Chair since 2008. During Richardson’s tenure as Chair, she has helped advance several initiatives including:

  • grow*Metro community involvement process to refine Metro’s capital plan
  • A new federal lobbying effort to secure funds for replacement of buses past their useful life
  • SORTA Board strategic planning process
  • Inclusive SORTA budget process that sought input from elected leaders and community partners
  • Diversification of Metro services through the addition of articulated (accordion) and hybrid buses
  • Expansion of the Everybody Rides Metro foundation

Also during that time Metro has faced extraordinarily difficult budget shortfalls due to what local leaders call a “failed” funding source and a difficult economy. As a result fares have been increased, service reduced, and ridership has even declined during this tumultuous time for transit agencies across the nation.

“Most people recognize the bus funding model is a failure,” said Cincinnati City Council member Chris Bortz in a recent interview with the Cincinnati Business Courier. “There are going to be those that are resistant to any new tax structure. But we’ve got to think through it.”

The solution, seen by many, is a county-wide funding structure instead of one that only focuses on Cincinnati’s Earnings Tax. As SORTA’s re-elected Chair and Vice Chair focus on long-term plans for the transit authority there needs to be serious discussions about how to permanently right this ship and make Metro a financially stable transit operator.

You can stay connected with the latest news and updates from Metro on Twitter @CincinnatiMetro.
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News

Metro adds five new articulated buses to its fleet

Articulated buses have arrived in Cincinnati and will be used along Metro’s highest capacity corridors to add capacity and improve productivity. Each of the five new articulated buses has a capacity in excess of 100 people (62 seated, 50+ standing) which represents a 50 percent increase over normal bus capacity.

“The articulated buses are workhorses. They will allow us to carry more customers per bus and increase the efficiency on routes that are frequently crowded,” said Marilyn Shazor, Metro’s CEO. “This is especially important now as we try to stretch every dollar to serve as many customers as possible with a smaller budget.”

New articulated bus images provided by Metro.

Each of the new buses cost just over $611,000 and were paid for primarily with federal Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CMAQ) funds that were made available through the Ohio Department of Transportation and the OKI Regional Council of Governments.

The new 24-ton articulated buses are being deployed along Metro’s heavily used 43, 45, and 47 bus routes along the Reading Road corridor, and are replacing existing buses that were beyond their useful life according to Metro officials.

Financially these buses represent a potential gain for Metro through the additional capacity added while maintaining the same labor costs with only one bus driver. Future articulated buses are being investigated and might even be hybrid like many of Metro’s newer buses.

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News

Share your winter weather bus stories with Metro

Have you used Metro as a means to avoid driving in severe weather conditions? If so, Metro would love to hear your winter weather transportation story. According to Metro officials, your comments may be used for promotional purposes, in a forthcoming news article, on Metro’s website, or for other purposes.

If you don’t necessarily have any winter weather bus riding stories to share with Metro, but have another story about your bus riding experience, Metro would love to hear that as well. You can share all of your stories with Metro online by visiting the following site.

Metro bus in winter weather photo provided by Metro.

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News Politics Transportation

UC*Metro deal sees more changes

UC students, faculty, and staff will soon pay more to participate in the UC*Metro program. When originally created, the deal allowed free rides on any Metro bus route by simply showing your UC ID card. In September, we reported that riders must now pay a quarterly fee ($40 for students, $120 for faculty and staff), and pay an additional fare for routes outside of Zone 1.

Due to an increasingly tight budget situation at Metro, which has required a combination of service cuts and fare hikes, the UC*Metro deal will see additional changes. In addition to paying for the quarterly card, riders must now pay a 25¢ fare for routes within Zone 1 (formerly free), and increased fares in other zones (see full list of fares at UC’s website).

The new fares will take affect on December 27. Those who have already purchased a pass for Winter Quarter have been given the option of requesting a refund, from now until January 11, 2010, by e-mailing Marie Sutthoff at marie.sutthoff@uc.edu or calling 513-556-4319.