Experimentation and Change

Experimentation and Change. Journey Through History. , Building an effective, efficient and modern public transit system has always demanded a willingness to experiment and change. Sometimes that meant experimenting with new technologies and new equipment. At one point just before World War II, Cincinnati was regarded as the "nation's laboratory" for innovation in transit equipment., At other times it has meant organizational change. In 1973 the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit authority (SRTA) and the City of Cincinnati partnered to create "Metro," Cincinnati's first publicly owned and operated transit system., Since then, Metro has purchased several generations of improved buses and twice modernized passenger facilities in Government Square., Laboratory of the Future, In the 1930s no American city experimented more with public transit than Cincinnati. Besides traditional streetcars and buses, the Cincinnati Street Railway Company put trolley buses into service in 1936, and the sleek PCC (President's Conference Committee) cars in service in 1939., Creating Metro, In 1973, SORTA and the City of Cincinnati signed a formal partnership to revitalize bus service in the area. Metro soon unveiled its new look by refurbishing and repainting several old ivory and orange buses in the new blue and white color scheme., Moving Forward, Since 1973 Metro has introduced comfortable, efficient buses. In the 1990s, Metro was one of the first systems in the nation to use soybean-based fuel. Metro now serves passengers with various disabilities thanks to wheelchair lifts and automated voice announcements., The New Government Square, In 1977 Metro and the City of Cincinnati re-designed Government Square to promote efficiency of bus traffic and passenger comfort. In 1985 City Council named the Square for Charles P. Taft 2nd, the youngest son of a president who served on city council for 30 years. The sleek bus shelters protected riders into the twenty-first century when advancements in traffic engineering, and the desire to improve safety and better served customers with disabilities, led to a redesign in 2006.