How to ride public transportation in Cincinnati

Cincinnati’s public transportation splits across a state line: Metro runs the buses on the Ohio side, TANK runs them across the river in Northern Kentucky, and a free streetcar loops through downtown. They meet at Government Square, the open-air transit hub on Main Street downtown — if you’re not sure where to start, start there.

The basics

Metro (officially the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, or SORTA) runs local and express buses across Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Routes are grouped as local, express, crosstown (neighborhood-to-neighborhood without going through downtown), and commuter.

The Cincinnati Bell Connector is the streetcar — a 3.6-mile loop connecting The Banks riverfront, downtown, and Over-the-Rhine. It’s free to ride, which makes it the easiest first ride for a visitor.

Across the Ohio River in Kentucky, TANK (Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky) runs its own bus network, including the route to and from the airport. Metro and TANK are separate agencies with separate fares, but they share the same payment app and a combined pass.

How to pay

Both Metro and TANK use the Transit app with EZfare as the main way to pay:

1. Scan a QR code in the Transit app. Load funds into your EZfare wallet, tap “Ride Now” to pull up your code, and scan it on the reader as you board.
2. Tap an EZfare smart card. Buy one for $5 (from Metro’s sales office, TANK’s sales office, or participating retailers), load it with cash or a card, and tap it on the reader.
3. Pay cash in the farebox as you board — have your fare ready, since drivers can’t make change.

The streetcar needs no fare at all — just board.

Paying through the Transit app also buys you free transfers: one ride includes up to two more buses within 120 minutes.

Fares

The best part of paying with the Transit app or an EZfare card is fare capping: keep tapping the same card or scanning the same code, and the system automatically stops charging once you hit the daily or monthly cap — no need to buy a pass up front.

Riding both agencies in the same trip (say, downtown Cincinnati to Covington)? A Metro/TANK 1-Day Pass is $5 and a Metro/TANK 30-Day Pass is $105; Tap&Save also offers a combined cap of $5/day or $105/30 days.

Getting from the airport

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) is actually in Kentucky, a few miles south of downtown. The public transit option is TANK’s Route 2X, which runs roughly every 30 minutes between the airport and a string of downtown Cincinnati stops — Government Square, 5th at Elm, 5th at Vine, 4th at Sycamore, 4th at Vine, and Race at 3rd.

• Cost: $2, the standard TANK fixed-route fare — pay cash on board or scan the Transit app.
• Pickup: on the Baggage Claim level; follow the signs for Ground Transport East to reach the TANK stop.

TANK doesn’t publish a travel-time estimate for the route, so budget extra time, especially if traffic on I-71/75 is heavy.

Apps to download

• Transit — the app both Metro and TANK point riders to for buying EZfare tickets, enrolling in Tap&Save, and tracking real-time arrivals.
• Google Maps or Apple Maps — fine for general trip planning with local transit data built in.

When it runs

Most Metro routes run seven days a week, and six routes — 4, 11, 17, 33, 43, and 51 — run 24/7. Express and commuter routes are typically weekdays only, aimed at commute hours.

The streetcar runs Monday–Friday 7:30am–11:30pm, Saturday 8:30am–11:30pm, and Sunday 9:30am–9:30pm.

TANK’s airport route, 2X, runs roughly every 30 minutes.

Accessibility

Every Metro fixed-route bus has a deployable ramp, a kneeling feature to lower the bus at the curb, wheelchair securement space, front priority seating, and audible and visual stop announcements. The Connector streetcar has level boarding at every stop, with audio and visual announcements and room for wheelchairs, scooters, and strollers — board through the center doors if you’re using a wheelchair or scooter.

Access is Metro’s ADA paratransit service — a backup for riders who can’t use the regular bus network, not an alternative for general use. It operates within 3/4 mile of regular (non-express) Metro routes and during those routes’ operating hours.

Etiquette & local quirks

• Flag the bus. Metro buses don’t automatically stop at every stop — wave to the driver as it approaches so they know you want to board.
• Pull the cord to get off. Request your stop by pulling the cord along the bus windows well before you need to exit.
• Government Square has rules. The open-air transit hub downtown is a designated “Transit Center Zone” — you’re only supposed to be in it to board, exit, or wait for a bus. Loitering there can get you cited under city code.
• Bikes are welcome. Government Square has dedicated space for loading and unloading bikes onto Metro buses.
• Two states, two systems. If you’re heading across the river to Covington or Newport, Kentucky, you’re switching from Metro to TANK — different agency, different fare (unless you’re using a combined Metro/TANK pass or cap).

Good to know

• No systemwide late-night service, but it’s not all-or-nothing either: six Metro routes (4, 11, 17, 33, 43, 51) run around the clock, so check whether your route is one of them before assuming service has stopped.
• The streetcar is genuinely free — no fare, no app, no card, just board. It’s the simplest way to get between downtown, Over-the-Rhine, and The Banks.
• Exact fare only on cash. Drivers on both Metro and TANK buses can’t make change, so bring the right amount if you’re not using the Transit app or an EZfare card.