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 2025, the system had a ridership of 1,992,200, or about 5,500< per weekday as of the first quarter of 2026.
 | |
 TANK bus departing Government Square in downtown Cincinnati, 2017 | |
| Founded | 1973[1] |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 3375 Madison Pike Fort Wright, Kentucky[1] |
| Locale | Northern Kentucky |
| Service area | Boone, Kenton, Campbell counties & Downtown Cincinnati |
| Service type | Bus service, paratransit |
| Alliance | Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority |
| Routes | 27[1] |
| Stops | 1,269 |
| Hubs | Fort Wright Hub, Florence Hub |
| Stations | Covington Transit Center |
| Fleet | 107 buses |
Daily ridership | 5,500< (weekdays, Q1 2026)[2] |
Annual ridership | 1,992,200 (2025)[3] |
| Website | tankbus |
As of 2007, 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
editTANK was founded in 1973 after 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]
Fares
editAs 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.[9]
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.[9]
Routes
edit| Number | Description[10] |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dixie Hwy/Florence |
| 2X | Airporter  |
| 3 | Ludlow/Bromley |
| 5 | Holman Ave/Fort Wright |
| 7 | Madison Ave/Latonia |
| 8 | Eastern Ave/Crestview Hills |
| 12 | Bellevue/Dayton |
| 16 | West Newport/Fort Thomas |
| 17X | Buttermilk Pike Express |
| 22X | Richwood/Walton Express |
| 24 | NKU Shuttle |
| 25 | NKU/Alexandria |
| 25X | Alexandria Express |
| 30X | Lake Park Dr/Fort Wright Express |
| 39X | Petersburg Rd/South Hebron Express |
| 40X | Worldwide Blvd/North Hebron Express |
| 42X | Industrial Rd/Florence Express |
| SS | Southbank Shuttle |
Ridership
edit| Year | Total unlinked passenger trips[11] |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 4,546,106 |
| 1992 | 4,501,623 |
| 1993 | 4,080,269 |
| 1994 | 4,080,015 |
| 1995 | 4,080,015 |
| 1996 | 3,710,341 |
| 1997 | 3,715,599 |
| 1998 | 3,747,643 |
| 1999 | 3,884,654 |
| 2000 | 4,615,265 |
| 2001 | 4,386,976 |
| 2002 | 4,281,789 |
| 2003 | 3,872,407 |
| 2004 | 3,709,526 |
| 2005 | 3,770,649 |
| 2006 | 3,638,815 |
| 2007 | 3,719,871 |
| 2008 | 3,804,210 |
| 2009 | 3,806,772 |
| 2010 | 3,534,695 |
| 2011 | 3,634,802 |
| 2012 | 3,635,954 |
| 2013 | 3,636,937 |
| 2014 | 3,580,867 |
| 2015 | 3,625,913 |
| 2016 | 3,553,112 |
| 2017 | 3,296,168 |
| 2018 | 3,090,565 |
| 2019 | 3,002,618 |
| 2020 | 2,471,345 |
| 2021 | 1,424,800 |
| 2022 | 1,738,000 |
| 2023 | 2,092,600 |
| 2024 | 2,090,500 |
| 2025 | 1,992,200 |
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 "TANK – Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky > Home". www.tankbus.org.
- ↑ "Transit Ridership Report First Quarter 2026" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. May 28, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2025" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. February 20, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Bill passes Senate". The Kentucky Post. E. W. Scripps Company. September 13, 2007. p. A2. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
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.
- ↑ "TANK – Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky > About TANK > Planning Studies > 2021 Service Changes". Archived from the original on January 6, 2021.
- ↑ "History". Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky. Archived from the original on September 23, 2006. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
- ↑ "Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky Renews Contract | First Transit". Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ↑ "No. Ky. agency names new GM". Metro Magazine. March 17, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- 1 2 "Fare Structure & Passes". Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
- ↑ "Bus Routes". Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
- ↑ "TS2.2 – Service Data and Operating Expenses Time-Series by System". National Transit Database. USDOT, Federal Transit Administration. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
Further reading
edit- Lehmann, Terry; Clark, Earl W. (2000). The Green Line: the Cincinnati, Newport & Covington railway. CERA Bulletin 134. Chicago: Central Electric Railfans' Association. ISBN 978-0-915348-34-3.
External links
edit