Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky

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Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky
Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky logo.svg
TANK bus departing Government Square, Cincinnati.jpg
TANK bus departing Government Square in downtown Cincinnati, 2017
Founded1973 [1]
Headquarters3375 Madison Pike
Fort Wright, Kentucky [1]
Locale Northern Kentucky
Service areaBoone, Kenton, Campbell counties & Downtown Cincinnati
Service type Bus service, paratransit
Alliance Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority
Routes27 [1]
Stops1,269
HubsFort Wright Hub, Florence Hub
StationsCovington Transit Center
Fleet107 buses
Daily ridership6,500 (weekdays, Q2 2025) [2]
Annual ridership2,132,500 (2024) [3]
Website tankbus.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) is the public transit system serving the Northern Kentucky suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio, located in Kenton County, Boone County and Campbell County, United States. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 2,132,500, or about 6,500 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2025.

Contents

Currently[ when? ] TANK operates a fleet of 100 fixed route buses and 25 demand response vehicles. [4]

While TANK's primary service area is the three Northern Kentucky counties, all TANK routes also connect with Downtown Cincinnati where riders can transfer to vehicles operated by the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority if necessary. Although the two systems are separate, the TANK and SORTA work to make transfers between systems easy, and even sell a joint pass.

A bus redesign took effect on January 31, 2021. [5]

History

TANK was founded in 1973 when the privately funded Greenline Bus Company ceased operation, and voters in the three counties elected to publicly fund the transit system. [6] ATE Management, founded by Greenline's owners, provided management. [7] ATE and its successor First Transit provided management until 2010, when TANK became self-managed. [8]

Fare structure

As of 2025, TANK charges $2.00 for all fixed route service. Students in kindergarten through 12th grade on school days riding to and from school only pay $1. TANK also has passes: a 30-day pass (unlimited) for $70.

Several regional passes are offered, which are valid for unlimited rides on both TANK and Metro/Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority. One Day Metro/TANK for $5; 30-day Metro/TANK for $105.

Ridership

Annual ridership
YearTotal unlinked passenger trips [9]
19914,546,106
19924,501,623
19934,080,269
19944,080,015
19954,080,015
19963,710,341
19973,715,599
19983,747,643
19993,884,654
20004,615,265
20014,386,976
20024,281,789
20033,872,407
20043,709,526
20053,770,649
20063,638,815
20073,719,871
20083,804,210
20093,806,772
20103,534,695
20113,634,802
20123,635,954
20133,636,937
20143,580,867
20153,625,913
20163,553,112
20173,296,168
20183,090,565
20193,002,618
20202,471,345
20211,384,876

Routes

TANK routes
NumberDescription
1Dixie Hwy/Florence
2XAirporter BSicon FLUG.svg
3Ludlow/Bromley
5Holman Ave/Fort Wright
7Madison Ave/Latonia
8Eastern Ave/Crestview Hills
12Bellevue/Dayton
16West Newport/Fort Thomas
17XButtermilk Pike Express
22XRichwood/Walton Express
24 NKU ShuttleCallahan Hall / Campus
25NKU/Alexandria
25XAlexandria Express
30XFort Wright/Independence Express
32XBurlington Express
39XPetersburg Rd/South Hebron Express
40XWorldwide Blvd/North Hebron Express
42XFlorence Hub Express
61Covington Health Connection
Southbank ShuttleCovington / Cincinnati/ Newport

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "TANK – Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky > Home". www.tankbus.org.
  2. ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. August 27, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 19, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Bill passes Senate". The Kentucky Post . E. W. Scripps Company. 2007-09-13. p. A2. Retrieved 2007-10-05. The bill, the 2008 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, would help TANK replace three buses in its 90-bus fleet.
  5. ↑ "TANK – Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky > About TANK > Planning Studies > 2021 Service Changes". Archived from the original on 2021-01-06.
  6. ↑ "History". Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky Official Website (undated). Retrieved October 5, 2007
  7. ↑ "Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky Renews Contract | First Transit" . Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  8. ↑ "No. Ky. agency names new GM" . Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  9. ↑ "TS2.2 – Service Data and Operating Expenses Time-Series by System". National Transit Database. USDOT, Federal Transit Administration. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2014.

Further reading

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