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Boone County calls for consultant review as transit (TANK) costs outpace ridership shifts
Summary
County leaders flagged rapidly rising Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) operating costs as a major budget pressure and asked for a system-wide consultant review of routes, service model and the county funding formula; staff said TANK agreed to hire a consultant and may draw on reserves during a transition year.
Boone County staff told commissioners the three‑county Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) is a major and growing line item in the FY2026 draft budget and that the three counties asked TANK’s leadership to hire a consultant to conduct a comprehensive, system‑wide review.
Matthew said the county’s contribution to TANK is built on a formula that looks at miles of routes, service hours, population and employment near routes. He and Judge Moore said that after COVID ridership patterns changed — park‑and‑ride commuter traffic to downtown Cincinnati has not rebounded while some neighborhood fixed‑route ridership has grown — and that the cost structure for operating big buses in low‑density suburban routes is straining county budgets.
Staff described the county’s directive to TANK: bring in a consultant this fiscal year to examine routes, vehicle types, service delivery models and the funding formula; identify efficiency opportunities and return recommendations the counties can implement. TANK’s leadership, staff said, told them it is open to the study, will consider pulling reserves during the transition year to soften county increases and will produce recommendations within the fiscal year.
Commissioners asked for Boone‑specific ridership data and for clarity on whether cities contribute to TANK; Matthew said cities do not contribute and that the funding approach dates to original formation and local ballot/arrangement history. Commissioners also discussed alternatives such as targeted employer subsidies for employee fares, last‑mile rideshare pilots (already tested in Campbell County) or redesigning routes to focus service where employment and ridership density justify it.
