CINCINNATI — After months of evaluation and customer feedback, Hamilton County’s bus service is launching its first two Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors.

Metro selected Hamilton Avenue and Reading Road as the sites to debut BRT service to the region.

BRT aims to improve bus travel times along major traffic zones through a combination of data-driven service changes, digital enhancements and on-street engineering upgrades.

Service in two other corridors — Glenway Avenue and Montgomery Road — are also being enhanced as part of this project, according to Metro’s website.

Metro looked at all four BRT alternatives as part of its nine-month study and public engagement campaign.

Darryl Haley, Metro’s CEO and general manager, described the use of BRT services as a “game-changer” for Hamilton County.

“We are excited to see the positive impact this new and innovative transportation option will bring, not only in terms of faster travel times through these corridors, but as a new economic growth driver for our region for decades to come,” he added.

Metro began the BRT study last fall to analyze each of the proposed corridors in terms of their physical advantages and limitations.

Things taken into account included the ability to attract riders, the impact on connectivity to the overall transportation network and how each would improve accessibility for communities across the region.

The review also looked at ways to support economic development opportunities around stations and stops in those corridors.

Public engagement included town halls, surveys and meetings with government officials to get a better understanding of the communities’ preferences and priorities related to the project. Metro also stated it had meetings with neighborhood groups, government officials and businesses sectors.

Haley noted that the input was “critical” to the process.

Khaled Shammout, who heads up strategic planning for Metro, believes the BRT plan puts Hamilton County in an excellent position for immediate improvements and future expansion.

“It’s fast and comfortable, cost-effective, and reliable and will be transformative for those who rely on transit to get to work, school and other activities and opportunities,” Shammout told Spectrum News back in September.

Metro plans to select two corridors initially and then add the other in the future, Shammout said last year. The goal, he added, is to build a regional BRT network.

Moving ahead to BRT

Metro—a nonprofit, tax-funded public bus service operated by the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority—rolled out the BRT strategy as part of its ongoing Reinventing Metro plan to modernize bus service across Hamilton County.

BRT combines the fast and efficient characteristics of rail transit with the flexibility of traditional bus service.

Travel times improve through a combination of increased service, limited bus stops, smart traffic signals and dedicated bus lanes where possible. These routes also use pay-in-advance fare systems to reduce wait times when boarding.

Currently, there is “very minimal BRT-specific infrastructure in place in those corridors,” Matt Hulme, the city of Cincinnati’s transit coordinator, said last year.

Currently, Cincinnati has one bus-only lane — downtown on Main Street between Fifth Street and Central Parkway. It’s in effect during rush-hour traffic.

“The implementation of bus-only lanes would require a number of changes along any of the roads under consideration, such as curb line adjustments, traffic signal improvements, new signage and pavement markings,” he said.

Metro plans to release additional details and feedback meetings at upcoming public meetings. Those dates and times aren’t yet available.

More information is available on Metro’s BRT Study website.