Why Cincinnati public transit sucks? (Hamilton, Kent: buy, college, live)

[lipued]

Before I start, I apologize my grammar is so bad. But please understand me, my native language is not English.

Well, I waited for 40 minutes to ride a 17 bus today, and this is not the first time to experience long intervals which drives me horribly crazy. I already feel bad because there is no united Metropolitan transit system although this city has the biggest metro area in Ohio and Kentucky, and the fact that even transportation system in the city sucks makes my impression about Cincinnati so bad.

I am from Seoul South Korea, and I never experienced this inconvenience in my hometown, other Korean cities, or other North American cities(I have been Regina Saskatchewan, Vancouver, LA, Chicago, Toronto, and here, Cincinnati.). I know...I know...I need to consider that most cities I`ve been are fairly larger cities than Cincinnati, but I think this quality goes too far.

I want to hear your opinions about the transit system, and a way to improve it or a way to save time when I use the transit(do not say buy a car, there are some people who can not take that option, such as an international college students.)

[DarkWolf]

Outside the large cities in the US and Canada we don't invest in Public transit...mainly due to the Auto , Oil and Air Industries which lobby against transit...

[Ohiogirl81]

To add insult to injury, it's Sunday; buses run on a much lighter schedule on Sundays.

Do you have a bus schedule handy? That will help alleviate the waiting at the curbside, at least.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by lipued

Well, I waited for 40 minutes to ride a 17 bus today, and this is not the first time to experience long intervals which drives me horribly crazy.

Transit in Cincinnati sucks. With that out of the way, you need to learn how to read a bus schedule. As an example:

Schedules: Cincinnati Metro - Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority

BTW - I live on the 17 and 19 route and have never, ever seen a 40 minute wait. You must be off hours/Sunday and don't know the schedule.

[progmac]

yes, transit here is bad. i have waited 40 minutes for a bus, too. you have to learn the schedules. if you just go to the stop and wait it takes forever.

sorry! i hope that someday we have good transit.

also, some parts of the city are far better served than others. when you get out into the suburbs, transit is very very bad, because the geographical area is so large and more people have cars. when i was in college, i intentionally moved to locations that I knew had good bus service.

[lipued]

I see...there is some problems in my way to read a bus schedule. Thank you.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by lipued

I see...there is some problems in my way to read a bus schedule. Thank you.

Just an observation. My work is heavily involved in editing and proofreading. I handle many publications where English is not the author's first language, or even second, third, and so on. You write English very well. Almost as if it's your native language. Mmmm.....

Anyway, suspicions aside as I do have a very sensitive BS alarm, what about the schedule do you need explained? It's really not that hard once you get going with it.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by lipued

I see...there is some problems in my way to read a bus schedule. Thank you.

If you figure out how to read a bus schedule here kudos to you. Everytime I look at one the print is so small and the font so smeared I need a magnifying glass to even attempt to read it.

[progmac]

the schedules are confusing...and to make matters worse the 17 i believe is one of those combined routes where there are multiple buses following similar but not identical routes. route 4 is the same thing. there is route 4 - kenwood, route 4 - blue ash, route 4 - ridge road, and god knows what else. it is very confusing and Metro is absolutely TERRIBLE at communicating what the hell the routes are, where they go, and how the system works. sometimes i even wonder if they know. They really can't tell their head from their bottom, or whatever the expression is. Somehow they got these new fareboxes that don't even take money. You put your money in too fast, it doesn't work, you swipe your card too fast or too slow and you get beeped at and it doesn't work. What the hell are those people thinking.

ANYHOW, to the OP: The schedule has two main sections. The "INBOUND" section references the bus as it travels from the suburbs IN TO downtown Cincinnati and the "OUTBOUND" section references the bus as it travels from downtown Cincinnati OUT TO the suburbs. On the top part of the schedule, you see intersections or landmarks, like 'Seven Hills EOL,' 'Knowlton's Corner' etc. You find the intersection that is closest to you and use that to approximate the bus's arrival time at your local stop. For example, if you live half a mile from North Bend & Hamilton and want to take the bus towards downtown, you should be at the stop around 4:38, 5:03, 5:28, etc. etc.

EASIER than this, is to just use Google maps. Simply type in your starting point (eg 515 hamilton road) and your destination and then click the icon that looks like a bus. It will tell you when to be at the stop.

If you are still having trouble with the bus system, feel free to send me a private message with details of your trip and I can help you. I've been riding the bus for years and have more or less figured out the system.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by progmac

the schedules are confusing...and to make matters worse the 17 i believe is one of those combined routes where there are multiple buses following similar but not identical routes.

The 17, 18, and 19 used to share the same route after a certain point. The 18 has been discontinued, which simplified things somewhat. I haven't found the schedules that difficult. Thanks for posting an explanation though, and Google maps is a good tip.