CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Metro riders can look forward to a faster and more efficient way of travel with the announcement of Metro's upcoming "Metro Rapid" transit system.
The company announced Wednesday its new bus rapid transit system (BRT) will launch in 2027 on Reading Road and in 2028 on Hamilton Avenue.
"(It) will be a game changer for our public," said Brandy Jones, the chief communications and marketing officer for Metro.
Here are the two Metro Rapid corridors:
Jones said the new BRT is aptly named "Metro Rapid" because it will contain corridors with lanes solely for Metro buses.
The buses will also have signal priority, Jones said, meaning traffic lights will know when a Metro Rapid bus is approaching, allowing the buses priority to get through the corridors.
Jones said the new BRT will serve as a way for the region to better and more efficiently travel.
"We think of it as all the benefits of a light rail, but on rubber tires," Jones said. "There's going to be significant cost savings and flexibility."
The new BRT buses themselves will also be much larger spanning 60 feet, while standard Metro buses are only 40 feet long, Jones said.
"There will be off-board payment, so you're not going to get stuck behind a fare box paying," Jones said.
She also said there will be level boarding platforms, so those in wheelchairs or with strollers or bikes can roll directly onto the Metro buses.
"It will look like new, sleek modern vehicles with greater accessibility, greater capacity that's going to allow you to get on faster, get off faster and get along those corridors a lot more quicker," Jones said.
Jones said the new BRT is part of a $300 million project since the passing of Issue 7 in 2020, which was introduced by the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority and increased sales tax to benefit infrastructure and the Metro system.
Jones said BRTs deployed in other areas of the country, such as Columbus or Indianapolis, have brought in a large amount of economic development.
"This was a $300 million project, and we expect that much more times to be returned to our community," she said. "Through growth of housing, growth of businesses, ridership, access to jobs and infrastructure all along those corridors."
She also said Metro is now focused on working with the communities around the corridors to know what feedback or suggestions they may have before construction begins in 2026.
"This is being built for and with the community," Jones said.
