The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky, more commonly known as TANK, is undergoing a shift to better meet its riders’ needs.
TANK is the public transit system serving Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties and downtown Cincinnati. The organization announced in January that it is removing five routes and increasing fares beginning March 22.
TANK General Manager Gina Douthat said at a Campbell County Mayor’s meeting on Jan. 28 that TANK’s ridership plummeted (67% in May 2020) during the pandemic. Since then, many people still do not go to work in an office five days a week. A 2023 Pew Research Center study showed that roughly three years after the COVID-19 pandemic, about a third (35%) of workers with jobs that can be done remotely are working from home all of the time. That was up from only 7% before the pandemic.
Today, TANK’s ridership is still down 30%.
“Since then, we’ve kind of been in recovery mode,” Douthat said. “People going downtown aren’t working five days a week in the office anymore. When they are working in the office, they are making different choices about how they get to work.”
She said that caused a big shift in the organization and a big shift in service because, for 50 years, Douthat said all of TANK’s service has been focused on meeting those employment needs.
The shift involves focusing on the percentage of ridership that goes to service-based jobs. Douthat said that 75% of TANK’s riders are going to work. Additionally, about 57% of the people who ride have no access to another vehicle and 52% earn less than $20,000 a year.
“The essential commuter is really where we are focused,” Douthat said. “The people who work shipping, logistics jobs, people that work at CVG, the healthcare and childcare employees, and those who work in our fast food and grocery, the jobs that are service based.”
Since the pandemic recovery, Douthat said TANK has made three priorities. The first is to review its funding and ensure that it has sustainable funding for the organization in the future.
TANK is a $32 million organization. About $23 million of that is in wages and fringes. Other things like fuel, bus parts and insurance contribute to the budget.
TANK is also increasing its fares in March, which they said will keep up with rising costs and support general operating expenses. The changes are as follows:
- Fixed Routes (local and express) will increase from $1.50 to $2
- Southbank Shuttle will increase from $1 to $2
- Reduced Fare (seniors/disabled) will increase from $0.75 to $1
- TANK Day Pass will increase from $3.50 to $4
- TANK 30-Day Pass will increase from $66 to $70
- Reduced Fare TANK 30-Day Pass (seniors/disabled) will increase from $33 to $35
- Game Day Pass will increase from $2 to $4
“Costs have gone up significantly over the last 10 years,” Douthat said. “The cost of buying a bus has almost doubled in that time, services, labor. Almost everything that we fund in our budget the costs have just skyrocketed. So, we are really focused on what’s essential.”
Douthat said that a new bus runs about $800,000.
The organization also uses CARES Act federal funding to fill gaps and help with recent years’ higher-than-average cost increases associated with labor and supplies. The CARES Act was a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law on March 27, 2020, in response to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You mentioned a lot of what you get from the federal government-a lot of that money is from the CARES Act,” Campbell County Commissioner Geoff Besecker said during the meeting. “What’s the sunset on that?”
Douthat said they have roughly two more years of CARES Act funding, which is why they are implementing changes now.
“I think we are heading into a time where federal funds are going to be much more difficult to come by,” she said. “The cost of all goods and services are at an all-time high and aren’t going back.”
Douthat said TANK isn’t afraid to cut services if they’re not being used. The organization will also remove five routes in March. Those can be found here.
The second priority, Douthat said, is to serve the transit-dependent population in Northern Kentucky.
The third priority is to maintain a reliable workforce. TANK drivers have to meet high standards. They must have a Commercial Driver’s License, also known as CDL, allowing a person to drive large, heavy vehicles, such as trucks, buses, and trailers. Drivers also must be able to meet a federal drug and alcohol program.
Douthat said that competition for CDL employees is very high in the current market, so keeping jobs filled has been challenging.
Douthat said she would recommend another pilot on-demand program in another county in TANKS budget for the next fiscal year. The current program, TANK Plus, only runs in Campbell County. The service is an on-demand way to get around town, curb-to-curb. Instead of fixed bus routes, they will use smaller vehicles like minibusses that patrons can call up when they need a ride, either through a phone app or a call center.
“With your ridership numbers and the smaller TANK Plus bus, is that an option to go with smaller busses, and is the CDL needed for smaller busses?” Senator Shelley Funke Frommeyer, a Republican from Alexandria, asked at the meeting.
TANK Plus bus drivers do not require a CDL license. Douthat said that TANK is looking into the smaller bus option because the drivers don’t have to meet that requirement, and the buses are much cheaper than the $800,000 price tag on the big buses.
“We’re investigating that, and I think you will see us move to a smaller fleet overall and then smaller vehicles providing service,” Douthat said.
