The upgrades will support the CincyLink Commuter routes connecting Butler County residents, as well as those in neighboring Warren County residents, with major employers in Hamilton County. The special bus route has park and ride hubs at Meijer locations in Middletown and West Chester Twp. There are nearly 190,000 jobs within 3-mile radiuses at the stops in Hamilton County south of the Norwood lateral and into Northern Kentucky. CincyLink also has a stop in Hamilton.
There are more than 2,619 riders picking up the CincyLink bus from Middletown and 9,740 riders from the West Chester Twp. hub, according to the RTA.
Shawn Cowan, Butler County RTA director of Customer Care and Public Engagement, said increasing CincyLink ridership is a key focus area. Beginning in the first quarter of 2025, Butler County RTA will launch a rewards app and a new marketing campaign to boost ridership in Butler and Hamilton counties.
“By encouraging more people to use CincyLink, we hope to make commuting easier for those working across county lines and to promote new job opportunities for Cincinnati residents in Butler County,” she said. “Our efforts are aimed at increasing ridership, enhancing regional connectivity, and expanding employment access by highlighting employment opportunities along the 75 corridors.”
And ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn said as they connect workers to jobs through public transit, “this funding ensures that transit agencies are equipped to provide reliable mobility options for the workforce across Ohio.”
Butler County RTA’s grant is part of a more than $17.5 million awarded, Gov. Mike DeWine’s office announced this month to support public workforce transportation in rural and urban areas of Ohio.
Butler County’s transit project is one of 33 in 16 counties receiving funding through the Ohio Workforce Mobility Partnership Program, or OWMP.
“Transportation should never be a barrier to opportunity,” DeWine said. “With these grants, we’re ensuring that Ohioans can easily travel to and from work without having to choose between a good paying job or the relocation of their family.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Transportation is an ever-growing expenditure, ranking the fourth-largest household cost in the U.S. in 2022, according to Policy Matters Ohio, with households spending nearly $12,300 annually. More than 90% of these expenses go toward buying, maintaining, and operating cars, the non-profit policy research institute reported this past October.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the issue is nationwide as businesses across the country are collectively creating thousands of jobs each month, but a significant number are still unfilled. The business organization reports there are 62 available workers for every 100 open jobs.
Rick Pearce, president and CEO of The Chamber of Commerce Serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton, said reliable public transportation is also important for employers.
“It’s extremely important because a lot of employers are struggling to find good, qualified candidates,” he said. “One of the challenges we have found over time in trying to solve this problem with public transporting individuals to and from employers is not all employers are on the same schedule, and that is quite a challenge.”
Butler County RTA offers variety of services in addition to CincyLink to help people get to work, including fixed routes connecting key areas within Butler County, the BGo Curb-to-Curb Service, BCare Transportation for people with disabilities, and connection points with Cincinnati Metro. RTA plans to expand hours to better accommodate second and third shift workers if the agency can identify funding in the future, but that presently expansion funding is limited. CincyLink currently operates four roundtrips in the morning, starting at 5:55 a.m., running every 30 minutes until 7:25 a.m. The afternoon routes start at 2:30 p.m. and run until 6:33 p.m.
“The CincyLink regional connector route times are aimed at individuals who work various schedules, including traditional workday schedules, shift work, and students who commute to the University of Cincinnati,” Cowan said. “Data shows that most riders are working a conventional work schedule.”
MORE INFORMATION
The Butler County Regional Transit Authority commuter service known as CincyLink runs Monday through Friday is $5 for a single ride and $120 for a 30-day pass. For more information, visit www.butlercountyrta.com/bus_routes/cincylink/
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