| Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Owner | City of Cincinnati andHamilton County |
| Area served | Hamilton County (in addition provides commuter routes fromButler County,Clermont County, andWarren County intoCincinnati) |
| Transit type | Bus,Express bus service,Paratransit |
| Number of lines |
|
| Number of stations | 3,800 bus stops[1] |
| Daily ridership | 43,600 (weekdays, Q2 2025)[2] |
| Annual ridership | 13,470,800 (2024)[3] |
| Chief executive | Andy Aiello |
| Headquarters | 525 Vine Street, Suite 500Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Website | go-metro |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | December 30, 1952 (asCincinnati Transit Commission) |
| Number of vehicles | 353transit buses, 46paratransit vehicles |
TheSouthwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) is thepublic transport agency servingCincinnati and itsOhio suburbs. SORTA operatesMetro fixed-route buses, bus rapid transit, microtransit, and paratransit services. SORTA's headquarters are located at the Huntington Building in Cincinnati’sCentral Business District. The agency is managed by CEO and General Manager Andy Aiello along with a 13-member board of trustees. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 13,470,800, or about 43,600 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025.
Downtown Cincinnati is also served by theTransit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK), whose transit services extend over theOhio River intoNorthern Kentucky.
SORTA replaced theCincinnati Transit Commission, which operated buses from 1952 to 1973. SORTA took over bus service in 1973 under the nameQueen City Metro, which was later shortened to Metro to reflect increased regional service.[5] In 2012 SORTA Metro released its schedule information in theGeneral Transit Feed Specification, making schedules more easily available to customers.[6] TheCincinnati Bell Connector was operated by SORTA until 2019; the City of Cincinnati has since owned and operated the streetcar. Until 2021, SORTA Metro 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 asCOTA andGCRTA 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 14, 2020, Hamilton County voters passed Issue 7, which switches the source of SORTA funding to a sales tax levy of 0.8 percent. The sales tax in Hamilton County raised to 7.8% and the Cincinnati earnings tax was eliminated. The levy is projected to generate $130 million a year, which will be split 100/30 between Metro and road infrastructure respectively. The new sales tax rate went into effect on October 1, 2020.[7] The new funding will be used to implement Reinventing Metro, which is a transit network redesign of its fixed-route services, but also introducesMobility on Demand andbus rapid transit (BRT) to the region.
An example related project is the Northside Transit Center, which is located inNorthside and replaced a basic bus stop. The new transit center, which opened in 2020, features eight boarding bays, each with an architecturally designed shelter and enhanced streetscaping, lighting and amenities. In addition, the transit center features artwork designed by winners of the transit agency's art contest for Northside residents. The contest asked residents to submit designs following the theme, "What does Northside mean to me?”. The artwork is displayed prominently on installations at the transit center's entrance and exit. The Northside project was a partnership with theFederal Transit Administration, theOhio Department of Transportation, and other local stakeholders.
SORTA Metro operates about 40 major fixed bus routes, as well as a demand-responsiveparatransit service. Of the major routes, roughly half run only at rush hours and are essentially commuter services, some of them serving thereverse commute. The other half operate throughout the day, and some offer increased frequency during rush hours. Approximately 90% of all trips are made on the all-day routes, and 10% on the express commuter routes. Routes 4, 11, 17, 33, 43, 51, and 78 runat all times.
Routes 29X and 82X extend into neighboringClermont County under an arrangement with theClermont Transportation Connection.
Routes 71X & 72X extend into neighboringWarren County under an arrangement withWarren County Transit.
Route 20 has a layover in neighboringButler County with connections toButler County Regional Transit Authority's Route R3 Oxford-Forest Park Connector at the Forest Park Park and Ride and at a stop across from Fairfield Meijer.
More information about bus routes and individual route schedules can be found on Metro'sFixed Route Schedules page.
| Number | Route name | Route type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mt. Adams | Local |
| 2 | Madeira | Local (Rush hour) |
| 3X | Montgomery Express | Express |
| 4 | Montgomery Road | Local (24/7) |
| 5 | Blue Ash | Local (Crosstown) |
| 6 | Queen City Avenue | Local |
| 8 | Blue Ash - Silverton | Local (Rush Hour) |
| 11 | Madison Road | Local (24/7) |
| 12 | Madisonville | Local (Rush Hour) |
| 16 | Spring Grove/Daly | Local |
| 17 | Hamilton Avenue | Local (24/7) |
| 19 | Colerain Avenue | Local |
| 20 | Winton Road | Local |
| 21 | Harrison Avenue | Local |
| 22 | Glenway - Madison | Local (Rush Hour Crosstown) |
| 23X | Forest Park Express | Express |
| 24 | Beechmont - MLK | Local (Crosstown) |
| 25 | Mount Lookout | Local (Rush Hour) |
| 27 | Beekman – Linn | Local |
| 28 | East End | Local |
| 29X | Milford Express | Express |
| 30 | Beechmont | Local (Rush Hour) |
| 31 | Taft – McMillan | Local (Crosstown) |
| 32 | West 8th Street | Local |
| 33 | Glenway Avenue | Local (24/7) |
| 36 | Price Hill – Uptown | Local (Crosstown) |
| 37 | MLK – Westwood | Local (Rush Hour Crosstown) |
| 38 | Uptown Commuter | Local (Rush Hour Crosstown) |
| 40 | Montana | Local (Rush Hour) |
| 41 | North Bend Road | Local (Crosstown) |
| 43 | Reading Road | Local (24/7) |
| 46 | Avondale | Local |
| 49 | Fairmount | Local |
| 50 | River Road | Local (Rush Hour) |
| 51 | Uptown Connector | Local (24/7 Crosstown) |
| 52X | Harrison Express | Express |
| 61 | Galbraith Road | Local (Crosstown) |
| 64 | Westwood | Local |
| 65 | Western Hills | Local (Rush Hour Crosstown) |
| 67 | Kemper Road | Local (Crosstown) |
| 71X | Kings Island Express | Express |
| 72X | Kings Island Direct | Express (seasonal) |
| 74X | Colerain Express | Express |
| 75X | Anderson Express | Express |
| 77 | Delhi | Local |
| 78 | Vine Street | Local (24/7) |
| 81 | Mount Washington | Commuter |
| 82X | Eastgate Express | Express |
| 90 | Metro*Plus | Local (Limited stops) |
Throughout 2021 and early 2022, Metro worked on developing an accessible, on-demand and localized mobility service, including connections to Metro's network of more than 40 fixed bus routes.
Previously referred to as "Mobility On-Demand," this service is now calledMetroNow!, with two zones that launched pilot service in Spring of 2023. Metro plans to roll out several additional service zones in the future. More information about the MetroNow service can be found on theirMetroNow! page.
Most of SORTA's roughly 3,600 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 arepark-and-rides. Government Square is the main transit station, locateddowntown nearFountain Square. SORTA owns and operates several transit centers across the region including the recently constructed Northside Transit Center, Oakley Transit Center, and Glenway Transit Center. SORTA operates theRiverfront Transit Center though it's only used for a layover point for the Metro*Plus route and a stop for route 85.
Effective July 16, 2025, local and commuter routes will see an increase fare of 20 cents to $2.20 and Hamilton County express routes will see an increase fare of 35 cents to $3.00. Commuter routes will now be known as local routes. Warren County and Clermont County express fares will decrease to $3. Children under 55 inches will ride free with an accompanying adult, again up to 2 children per adult.
Metro introduced theirTap&Save program, which is their version of fare capping. Users of theTransit can preload money onto their accounts to pay for their fares. For those not using the app, they can get a smart card they can load money on. The system will track their spending and once they reach the equivalent price of day pass or 30 day pass, they will not have to pay any additional fares until the cycle resets.[8]
Metro fares are available for mobile payment viaTransit, an app that has been adopted for such purposes across several cities.[9]
| Fare type | Price | Half fare |
|---|---|---|
| Local Routes | $2.20 | $1.10 |
| Express Routes | $3 | $1.50 |
| Access Fare | $4.40 | |
| Metro*NOW Fare | $2.50 | No discounted fare. |
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Local 24-Hour Pass | $4.40 |
| Metro/TANK 24-Hour Pass | $5 |
| Express 24-Hour Pass | $6 |
| 5-ride Local Ticket | $11 |
| Half Fare 24-Hour Pass (Fare Deal, UC, Cincinnati State) | $2.20 |
| Local 30-day Pass | $88 |
| Express 30-day Pass | $120 |
| Metro/TANK 30-day Pass | $105 |
| Suburban County Express 30-day Pass | $150 |
SORTA operates about 300 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.[10]
All fixed-route buses have a bike rack mounted on the front with room for two bicycles.
Garages
For more information about the history of Metro's fleet, including current and retired buses, go toCPTDB: Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority
| Year | Manufacturer | Model | Fleet numbers | QG Garage | BH Garage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1202-1245 | 1231, 1233-1245 | 1207-1208, 1211-1212, 1218-1220, 1225, 1228-1230 | In the process of retirement. |
| 2013 | Gillig | Low Floor BRT Plus | 1301–1310 | 1301-1307, 1309-1310 | None | 1308 retired in 2021. |
| 2013 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1321–1343 | 1321-1330 | 1331-1334, 1336-1343 | 1335 retired in 2022 due to fire. |
| 2015 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1501–1532 | 1511-1532 | None | |
| 2015 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1533–1537 | 1533-1537 | None | |
| 2016 | Gillig | Low Floor Commuter | 1601–1622 | 1608-1622 | 1601-1607 | 1616 caught fire and is assumed to be retired. |
| 2018 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1801–1819 | 1801-1819 | None | |
| 2018-19 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1820–1830 | 1820-1830 | None | |
| 2019 | Gillig | Low Floor | 1901–1934 | 1915-1934 | 1901-1914 | |
| 2020 | Gillig | Low Floor | 2001–2008, 2010-2016, 2018-2021 | 2012-2016, 2018-2021 | 2001-2008, 2010-2011 | Numbers 2009 and 2017 were renumbered to 2020 and 2021 before entering service. |
| 2021 | Gillig | Low Floor | 2140–2170 | 2155-2170 | 2140-2154 | |
| 2022 | Gillig | Low Floor | 2201–2225 | 2216-2225 | 2201-2214 | |
| 2023 | Gillig | Low Floor Hybrid | 2301–2310 | None | All | |
| 2023 | Gillig | Low Floor | 2311–2325 | All | None | |
| 2024 | Gillig | Low Floor | 2401–2412 | None | All | |
| 2024 | Gillig | Low Floor Hybrid | 2421–2427 | All | None |
| Year | Manufacturer | Model | Series #'s | Notes. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Gillig | Low Floor Hybrid | TBA | 4 buses due to be placed in service in 2025 to replace 4 1300 series buses.[11] |
| TBA | TBA | Electric buses | TBD | Received $5.5 million grant towards 11 electric buses.[12] |
| TBA | BYD | K11M | Articulated buses for theirBRT service calledMetro Rapid, which is scheduled to start service in 2027 for Reading Road and 2028 for Hamilton Avenue. |
Adjacent public transit agencies:
Other major public transit agencies in Ohio:
| International | |
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| National | |
