The agency that runs the regional bus system found itself in the midst of a social media storm when it made bus fares free and then reinstated fares while trying to protect bus drivers during coronavirus pandemic.

Now a Warren County man is suing the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority for deleting criticism he posted on SORTA’s Facebook page, and then blocking him.

Jordan B. Arnold, of Mason, filed the lawsuit Tuesday alleging SORTA violated his First Amendment right to free speech.

He’s asking a U.S. District Court judge to bar SORTA from blocking commenters, to restore his comment if possible and to unblock him.

"They censored me because I spoke out against their dangerous policy and it's not the government's job to decide which voices are heard,” Arnold said.

A SORTA spokeswoman told The Enquirer that as soon as they heard about the issue Wednesday, the agency unblocked Arnold.

"Mr. Arnold was blocked due to an error by one of our employees regarding the interpretation of SORTA’s social media guidelines. We will work with our employees who maintain our social media to ensure that this does not happen again. We apologize to Mr. Arnold and SORTA encourages open communication with the community and welcomes all public comments," said Brandy Jones, SORTA's vice president of external affairs.

SORTA is seeking a sales tax increase in Hamilton County primary election, which will be used to bolster the bus system.

The lawsuit alleged SORTA's policy not to charge fares during the COVID-19 pandemic is a public concern, ripe for discussion and debate.

After SORTA posted on Facebook March 28 that it would not collect fares beginning the following day, the post itself shows that five people commented, yet only three comments can be seen.

Arnold in the suit says he posted a comment urging the bus system to shut down entirely during the period of social distancing. Yet, the comment isn't there.

So, he theorizes in the suit, it was either deleted or hidden from public view.

On April 10, SORTA announced it would reinstate fares beginning on April 12.

In recent years state and federal courts all over the country have ruled that government entities and elected officials cannot censor citizens' viewpoints, determining it is a violation of First Amendment rights.

In 2018 a federal court judge in New York ruled President Donald Trump could not block people on Twitter.

The Enquirer reported that before it could even get a judge last year Ohio Sen. Joe Uecker agreed to pay $20,000 as part of a settlement reached in a lawsuit filed after the senator blocked a constituent from posting on his official Facebook page.

Also last year Cincinnati Solicitor Paula Boggs Muething advised the mayor and city council members they could not block citizens.