Public transportation: Why most of us in Greater Cincinnati don't use it

Randy Tucker | Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption Getting there: Fixing Greater Cincinnati’s public transportation Getting around Greater Cincinnati without a car can be tough. For the next year, The Enquirer will examine our problems and what we can all do to fix them.

Ever tried to get around Cincinnati without a car? To get to work? To the store? To a show?

It's not easy.

Whether you use public transit or not, the frailty of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky's public transportation system matters.

It's something virtually everyone – local transit systems, business leaders, politicians – agrees needs to get fixed if the area wants to grow and compete with other metropolitan areas.

More: Cincinnati's public transportation by the numbers

Commuters and non-commuters alike say the crux of the issue is this: Public transit here doesn't provide frequent, fast and reliable service to many areas.

The Enquirer followed some residents as they navigated our current system. Here are their stories:

Matt Jacob, 30, Over-the-Rhine:

"I try to use the bus first, but sometimes the amount of time it would take me to get anywhere makes me look at other alternatives. If I'm going further out, say to Kenwood or Tri-County, the bus becomes like a full odyssey because of all the stops it takes.''

Jacob lives in Over-the-Rhine north of Liberty and Race streets, near the stop where he normally catches the Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar to get to his job Downtown at Cushman & Wakefield.

He said he'd ride the bus more often, but the bus doesn't run frequently enough for him to rely on it to get him to work on time at his office in the Atrium One building at Fourth and Main streets.

Just seven Metro routes run every 15 mins or less – the industry standard for “frequent’’ service, according to the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, which operates the Metro bus system.

Jacob is among a growing number of commuters who not only take fewer trips on Metro but have switched to other modes of transportation to fill the void.

On a sunny day last month, he took the streetcar to work and back, called Uber to take him to the FC Cincinnati game at Nippert Stadium later that evening, then walked from the stadium to the nearby Kroger in Corryville after the game.

From there, he grabbed a bike from a Cincinnati Red Bike bike-share service station and rode home with his groceries.

"I can spend a little bit more money on Uber or jump on a Red Bike and save a lot of time,’’ Jacob said.

Sarah Thomas, 28, Northside:

"The biggest reason I can't fully rely on Metro is a lack of relevant routes and travel times.''

Sarah Thomas and her husband, Chris, commute mainly from their Northside home — headquarters for their Grey Rock Development residential and commercial real estate company.

The couple would like to ride the bus more often, but Metro just isn't a viable option for the frequent business meetings they have in communities outside the city center.

"My job demands that I show up at a variety of places at different times throughout each weekday, and it is difficult to use Metro to frequently, efficiently traverse the city,'' Sarah said.

According to SORTA, the bus system has just three crosstown routes that can take passengers from one part of town to another without stopping Downtown at Government Square, Metro's main transit hub.

And just a handful of routes take you directly to the northern suburbs where much of the recent development and job growth in the area has occurred.

"We really do try to take the bus whenever possible because we’d rather do that than have the expense of driving the car,'' Sarah said. "We do ride the bus, just not for work-related trips because we need to get back and forth on schedule.''

They also ride the streetcar frequently, and even used the much-maligned rail system as group transportation to take their family and friends to their wedding after getting married in Piatt Park last year.

"We are eager to have the ability to fully rely on public transit and get rid of our cars,'' Sarah said. "But first we need Cincinnati to step up with real transit progress and work towards a multi-modal system. That would really make Cincinnati a phenomenal place to live.''

Matt Henrich, 38, Cheviot:

"I drive to work because the only route that comes near me heading Downtown isn't convenient for me to ride.''

Henrich, a senior data engineer at General Electric Co.'s global operations center at The Banks, was referring to Metro Route 40X, which stops about six blocks from his house.

In addition to the inconvenience, he said the rowdy crowds and sketchy conditions at the Government Square transit hub Downtown have also turned him off from riding the bus.

"The amount of unchecked teenagers at Government Square when I am walking back to my garage is enough for me to just say no,'' Henrick said. "There is constantly a yelling match down the entire block, and I have seen a number of fights.

"All in all, it isn't a situation I want to be in,'' he said. "That isn't to say that I am against Metro. I understand its need in the community, but it's a no for me.''

Jerronda Gordan, 29, West End:

"I can't afford a car, so I have to ride the bus to work. I have no other choice.''

Jerronda Gordon, 29, said landing a job at the White Castle in the Silverlake Shopping Center in Erlanger has been a "blessing.''

But landing the job was only half the battle.

Getting there has proven to be much more of a curse for Gordan, who represents about 60 percent of Metro riders who are African American and work full-time or part-time but don't earn enough to own a car.

Gordon, who lives in the Lincoln Court housing project in the West End, starts her commute each weekday at 5:20 a.m. at the corner of Elm and 8th streets.

From there, she travels Downtown on Metro Route 27 to Government Square, then walks about a block to the Federal Reserve building where she picks up the Route 1 bus operated by the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK).

Route 1, which runs from Downtown south to Florence Mall along Dixie Highway, drops Gordon off directly across the street from her job, just in time to start her shift at 6 a.m. — on most days.

"If there's heavy traffic or the bus breaks down, I'm going to be late because the next bus doesn't come for 40 minutes,'' Gordon said. "It's also a problem if we get a new driver.

"My regular driver went on vacation for a week, and I was late just about every day,'' Gordon said. "She's back now, and I'm back to getting to work on time.''

Gordon said she hopes to buy a car sometime next year so "I know I'll have a dependable way to get to work.''

David Herche, Chairman and CEO of Enerfab Inc.

“One of the issues that we have is that most of our employers are not on the bus line, and most of our job seekers don’t have transportation.''

The lack of reliable, accessible public transportation is one of the biggest barriers to jobs for workers who have no other way to get to work.

To address the problem, local businessman David Herche has teamed up with the Cincinnati-based Beacon of Hope Business Alliance and Nehemiah Manufacturing to tackle the transportation gap with their own shuttle service.

Herche — who employs more than 3,000 workers as chairman and CEO of Enerfab Inc. in Winton Place, and executive chairman of West Chester Protective Gear in Sharonville — said the 7-month-old shuttle has been a huge success.

“The shuttle is kind of a test case, but over a short period of time, we have seen that it works very effectively,'' Herche said.

The shuttle, operated by the non-profit Beacon of Hope, picks up a handful of employees each weekday morning at Nehemiah's headquarters in Lower Price Hill and delivers them to their warehouse jobs at West Chester Protective Gear.

Most employees at the national distributor of occupational protective gear drive to work.

But transit-dependent workers have just one other option to get there directly: The Route 67 Sharonville Job Connection that makes one trip from Downtown at 5:47 a.m.

It's one of just six Metro routes that run outside Hamilton County, according to the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, which operates Metro.

The shuttle is just one way to tap labor pools outside Metro's reach, but it underscores the tremendous need for more transit options for employees and employers alike, Herche said.

"To solve a transportation problem in a simple way like this helps those who need a job, and helps those employers who need employees,'' he said. "With additional funding, we can do more of this.''

Herche said he's working with other business leaders and nonprofits to raise funds to expand the shuttle program.

Getting there: Fixing Greater Cincinnati’s public transportation

Getting around Greater Cincinnati without a car can be tough. What can we all do make sure the area has a world-class public transportation system that helps the economy, workers, businesses and families?

This year The Enquirer – and you, if you so choose – will be working on that.

We’ll examine how we got here, what the problems are and, most importantly, what we need to do. Let’s go.

Questions? Suggestions? Email Carl Weiser at cweiser@enquirer.com

About the series:

Spring: How we got here. A look back at Cincinnati's sometimes troubled transit history

Today: Where we are now. What are the shortcomings of Greater Cincinnati's transit system? Why does it matter?

Fall: What can we do now? What can you do today to help improve the transit system?

Winter: Let's think big. What kind of transportation system do we want in 10 — or even 50 years?

Help us fix this problem

Have ideas? Want to join with other people who want to create a better public transportation system? Join The Enquirer's new 'Getting There' Facebook Group.