Within a couple weeks of its launch, it was clear the initial projections made by consultants for the city were wishful thinking. In 2011, consultants estimated the streetcar would see 3,200 rides each day. Last fall, those projections were lowered to 2,800 a day.

Those earlier projections did not take into account seasonal changes in use and other factors like holidays. SORTA's new projections do.

The most recent projections from SORTA run from July 2017 to June 2018 and estimate a total ridership of 609,300 or an average of 1,693 per day.

In other words, ridership projections have been nearly halved since they were initially made.

The Cincinatti Enquirer article also reveals some ridership datapoints that surprised those who planned the system and developed the projections:

The streetcar is being used far more often as weekend transportation than for commuting to work.

Streetcar use goes down in the winter months and back up when the weather warms.

Because the system was built to a finished state from the get-go, there’s a limited amount the city can do to respond to these revelations, and those responses (like buying additional cars to service busy weekend hours) are likely to be costly.

In contrast, an incremental approach to public transit like adjusting an existing bus system or opening a smaller scale van service could more quickly respond to changing needs based on the day and season by rerouting commuter buses onto weekend bus routes or relocating stops onto streets with warm waiting areas.