BY STEVE KEMME
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON -- All that stands in the path of an expansion of public transportation in Butler County is $1.7 million in grant matching money.
Next month, the Butler County Regional Transit Authority will ask the county and Hamilton, Fairfield and Union Township -- the communities that will benefit immediately from the transportation service -- to contribute their share of the matching money.
The money will bring the transit authority a $2.8 million federal grant and an annual allocation of $1.1 million to $1.4 million per year from 1999 to 2003.
The transportation program will include a fleet of nine buses and employ the use of two vans from the Cincinnati Institute for Career Alternatives.
'Desperately needed'
Next year, under this program:
It has three goals:
- Get county residents to work.
- Expand the potential employee pool for businesses.
- Reduce smog caused by traffic congestion on Interstate 75.
County officials especially want the program to help people moving from welfare to work, the elderly and the disabled.
The only two public bus systems in booming Butler County are the ones serving Middletown and Miami University's students and staff.
"It's really a desperately needed service," said Amy Terango, the transit authority's executive director.
Expansion ahead
Next year, under this program:
- Hamilton will receive two fixed bus routes during peak hours, a midday service based on demand-and-response, and buses for special events.
- Fairfield will have eight park-and-ride trips for Cincinnati commuters in morning and afternoon rush hours and reverse commuter service from Cincinnati to Metro's Fairfield park-and-ride on Ohio 4.
- Union Township would have eight park-and-ride trips from West Chester to Cincinnati and back in morning and afternoon rush hours and reserve commuter service from Cincinnati to Union Centre Boulevard.
Services would be expanded later to Middletown, Oxford and Trenton.
As Butler County grows, public transportation will become more vital, Ms. Terango said.
"Without public transit, it will be very difficult to get around, just from the standpoint of traffic congestion," she said.
"Without public transit, it will be very difficult to get around, just from the standpoint of traffic congestion.' -- Amy Terango, executive director, Butler County Regional Transit Authority
