Showing posts with label transit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transit. Show all posts

TRI*METRO ENTERTAINMENT BUS


Learn. Experience. Ride.


Those three simple steps can help bring new ridership to Cincinnati Metro. The transit agency has partnered with Cincinnati young professionals organizations to promote tri*Metro, a campaign to introduce the many benefits of riding the bus.






On Saturday, September 13, Cincinnatians will have an opportunity to travel by bus to a variety of venues throughout Downtown, Over-the-Rhine, Mt. Lookout, Oakley, Hyde Park and O'Bryonville. From 8:00PM-2:00AM, ride Metro around town to your favorite bars and take advantage of drink specials offered by partnering venues. The best part: you get unlimited rides on all Metro Entertainment Buses for only $5 with prepaid registration or purchase one the night-of at any of the designated bus stops.





Buses will be running every 30 minutes; the perfect time to grab a drink, chat with friends, and be ready to travel onward to your next venue. An added bonus: you don't have to start riding Downtown. Just want to be shuttled between Oakley and Mt. Lookout? It can be done! Riders are free to pick up the Metro Entertainment Bus from any location on the route. Download a bus schedule and check out the drink specials:

MT. LOOKOUT (Bus Stop at Linwood and Delta)
  • MLT- $4 well drinks until 9pm, 5 for $12 domestic buckets all night long
  • Millions- $4 well drinks until 9pm, 5 for $12 domestic buckets all night long
HYDE PARK  (Bus Stop at Edwards and Erie)
  • Cock N' Bull- $1 draft beers, $1 off cocktails,  half price apps
  • Unwind Bar-  $5 house red, $5 house white, $1 off all beers
HYDE PARK  (Bus Stop at Erie and Marburg)
  • Keystone- Half price drafts
OAKLEY (Bus Stop at Madison and Gilmore)
  • Animations- $2.25 domestics, $2 Orloff shots, $3 Fireball shots
  • The Oak- $12 domestic buckets, $1 off craft drafts
O'BRYONVILLE (Bus Stop at Madison and Cinnamon)
  • O'Bryon's Bar & Grill- $8 Budweiser pitchers, $5 car bombs
  • Art of Entertaining (open until 10pm)-  $5 wines, $5 beers, Live culinary demonstrations
OVER THE RHINE (Bus stop at Main St. and 13th)
  • The Drinkery- $3 well drinks, $4 16oz domestics and $5 drafts  
  • MOTR- Free live music

This bus is ready to party!

Not into the bar scene but still want to participate? There are plenty of restaurants, entertainment and relaxing patios nearby each of the stops.

MT. LOOKOUT SQUARE (Bus stop at Linwood and Delta)
Mt. Lookout Coffee Roasters, UDF, Buona Terra Gelato & Crepes, Lucy Blue Pizza, Zip's Cafe, Cloud 9 Sushi, Ruthai's Thai Kitchen

HYDE PARK SQUARE (Bus stop at Edwards and Erie)
Graeter's, Awakenings Coffee & Tea, Unwind Wine Bar, Indigo Cafe, Arthur's

EAST HYDE PARK (Bus stop at Erie and Marburg)

Hyde Park Pizzeria, UDF, Dutch's Bottle Shop, Bangkok Bistro, Hap's Irish Pub, M Woodfired Pizza. There's also a park across the street.

OAKLEY (Bus stop at Madison and Gilmore) 

Baba India, Skyline Chili, Aglemesis Ice Cream Parlour, Habits Cafe, Dewey's Pizza, 20th Century Theatre, Yat Ka Mein

O'BRYONVILLE (Bus stop at Madison and Cinnamon)

Enoteca Emilia, Owls Nest Park, plus a variety of boutique shops earlier in the evening.

OVER THE RHINE (Bus stop at Main St. and 13th)
Washington Park, Ensemble Theatre, Music Hall, Taste of Belgium, Quan Hapa, Senate, Bakersfield, Lucy Blue Pizza, Gomez Taco Window, A Tavola, The Eagle, Holtman's Donuts, Venice on Vine, 1215 Wine and Coffee Bar, Kaze. Basically, this stop drops off in the heart of the Over the Rhine Entertainment District, perfect for if you've been craving trying out any of  the popular restaurants.

DOWNTOWN (Government Square at Walnut and 5th)
Fountain Square, Smale Riverfront Park, Scotti's Italian Restaurant, Nada, Graeters, FUSIAN, Via Vite, Shanghai Mamas, Mr. Sushi, Rock Bottom, Palomino, Metropole, Boca, Akash India, Taqueria Mercado, Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse

Note that with the restaurants, that you check closing times before heading out. Most close at 9PM or 10PM, with the exception of Over The Rhine restaurants.



If you're having the bus ride of a life time, take note. The Metro Entertainment Bus is traveling the same path of Route 11, a bus which you can catch any day of the week. If you enjoy the ease of transit hopping venues on the weekend, consider getting a $10 or $20 stored value card to use the rest of the year. With bus fare costing $1.75 per ride, it's a safe and affordable way for groups of friends to get around town.

YEAR ONE: STREETCAR CONSTRUCTION

This week marks the first anniversary of construction beginning on the Cincinnati Streetcar route as the City signed a contract with Messer/Prus/Delta Railroad Joint Venture (MPD) to complete the work. We've been documenting the development of infrastructure once a month since it began. Compare the pictures below to see how the project has evolved over the past year.


12TH & WALNUT STREET
2013


2014




12TH & VINE STREET

2013

 2014




 12TH & RACE STREET

 
2013

2014




MUSIC HALL AT
14TH & ELM STREET


2013


2014




 LIBERTY & ELM STREET

2013
 
2014




FINDLAY MARKET ON ELM

2013
 

2014

Installing the first catenary poles for the overhead wire.


  

RHINEGEIST AT
HENRY & ELM STREET


2013
 

2014
 


HENRY STREET

2013


2014



STREETCAR MAINTENANCE FACILITY
AT HENRY & RACE STREET


2013


2014

 
RACE & LIBERTY STREET

2013



2014


CENTRAL PARKWAY & WALNUT


2013

 

2014


GOVERNMENT SQUARE AT
5TH & WALNUT


2013




2014


THE BANKS ON 2ND STREET


2013



2014
 


 
4TH & MAIN

2013

 

2014


 
6TH & MAIN

2013



2014

8TH & MAIN

2013
 

2014

DUMP THE PUMP THIS SUMMER!

June 19 marks the 9th annual Dump The Pump Day, encouraging people to ride public transportation and save money instead of driving a car. Sponsored by American Public Transportation Association (APTA) the national holiday started in June 2006 when gas prices hit $3 per gallon. APTA recently issued a Transit Saving Report explaining that a two-person household can save an average of $10,174 a year by downsizing to one car. 





While some suburban areas of Cincinnati may not have access to our bus system, those households near public transit drive an average of 4,400 fewer miles than households that did not have public transit. Across the United States, that saves 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually. Taking the bus or riding the train also saves 865 million hours in travel time and saves $21 billion in congestion costs around major cities. 





Riding METRO or TANK buses in Cincinnati is enjoyable , affordable, and easy. Trips cost as little as $1.75 per passenger and can take you across Hamilton County, through Northern Kentucky, and even up to West Chester. It's a great way to travel to any of the tri-state's summer festivals without the hassle of congestion or parking. You name it, we've bussed it there: Lenten fish fries, weekemnd picnics, and Reds Opening Day!



Thinking about taking the bus for the first time?  METRO will be passing out FREE ride tickets to anyone who is a new rider or wants to give METRO a try from 12:00PM-1:00PM on Friday, June 20 at Government Square.

Other ways to celebrate Dump the Pump:


Here are some more fun facts APTA discovered:
  • In 2013, Americans took 10.7 billion trips on public transportation - - the highest in 57 years.
  • People board public transportation 35 million times each weekday.
  • Since 1995 public transit ridership is up 37.2 %, outpacing population growth (20.3%) and vehicle miles traveled (22.7%).

CINCINNATI TRANSIT HISTORICAL PICNIC

Friends gathered for the annual picnic of the Cincinnati Transit Historical Association (CTHA), a group that's been preserving the transportation heritage of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana for 35 years. Held in the lush gardens of the Hamilton County Fairgrounds, members and their families enjoyed a summertime spread by R&R Meats, featuring delicious cheeseburgers, brats, and tube steaks.




CTHA had their collection of vintage buses on display as well, including two TANK buses built in 1981 and the 1990s, a 1975 COTA bus from Columbus, Ohio, a 1953 Green Line bus from the Cincinnati-Newport-Covington Railway, a former Ohio charter bus, and others.




The crowd favorite is the 1953 Cincinnati Street Railway bus, which was donated to the group by METRO in 1984. (Fun fact: the orange and cream colors inspired the paint scheme for the new Cincinnati Streetcar.)



While looking at the buses is a trip back in time, nothing beats getting to climb aboard and go for a ride! Piling into the seats, retired bus drivers took the group for a spin around the fairgrounds, enjoying the rich hum of the motor, breeze sifting through the open windows, and the display of muscle power needed to maneuver a vehicle made in the days before power steering. We took a tour in three different buses, each with unique features, mechanics, and feel of the ride.



With activities and appearances going on year round, CTHA is a unique social organization filled with some of the most interesting and enjoyable personalities in Cincinnati. They're currently looking for enthusiasts to join, whether you like learning about something new, working hands-on to restore a bus, or helping out in their historical library. Volunteers are always appreciated and you can become a contributing member for as little as $15 annually.

Interested in learning more? Check out membership details on their website and keep a look out for their buses at upcoming events this summer: Glendale Car Show, Montgomery 4th of July Parade, Hamilton Car Show, and Hamilton County Fair.