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Springdale hears Metro Now update as council considers SORTA grant for bus-shelter replacement
Summary
Metro Now officials briefed the Springdale City Council on near-400,000 systemwide rides and local ridership growth; council also heard a first reading of an ordinance authorizing a SORTA Metro Transit Infrastructure Fund application to replace bus shelters.
Springdale City Council members received an update May 6 on Metro Now microtransit service and learned the city will apply for regional funding to replace aging bus shelters.
Mayor Lawrence C. Hawkins III introduced Troy Miller and Steve Anderson from Metro Now, who reported that the microtransit pilot has carried nearly 400,000 rides systemwide since its May 2023 launch and about 35,000–40,000 of those trips have been in Springdale. Steve Anderson described the service model (app-based bookings, a $2.50 one-way fare, roughly 20–25 minute wait times on average) and said planned zone expansions and additional vehicles will come online as fleet availability allows. He said about 94% of riders use the app and that vehicles seat eight with two wheelchair positions.
Council members asked operational questions about staging and response time. When asked where vehicles are staged, Anderson said they typically stage around the Kroger in the Woodlon/Woodlong area and confirmed the average response time is about 22 minutes, with some delays during school-release periods.
Separately, the council heard the first reading of Ordinance No. 19, 2026, authorizing the city administrator to apply to the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) for Metro Transit Infrastructure Funds to support a bus-shelter replacement project and authorizing the mayor and city administrator to execute contracts if funding is awarded. Council members praised Metro Now for responsiveness and noted new shelter designs developed with the University of Cincinnati will be installed in the summer at no cost to the city.
What happens next: the bus-shelter grant ordinance will return for a second reading at the council’s next meeting; if the city is awarded SORTA funding, the mayor and city administrator are authorized to execute related contracts.
