Ohio Survey: Nearly 80 percent believe they will benefit from expanded public transportation

WLWT Home: "92.2 percent agree that ensuring that the system provides transportation to seniors, students, workers and people without cars is essential to the economy and the basic quality of life, even if they don't use public transit personally.
79.5 percent agree with people who say that they will, in some way, benefit by having expanded and improved bus and public transit services in Hamilton County, even though they may not use transit personally.
58.4 percent think connecting people to jobs is the highest priority for local bus transportation to improve the quality of life in Cincinnati and Hamilton County. "

Corporations feel the pain of sprawl, diverge from oil industry

cincinnati.com : "The group includes some influential members, including Dinsmore & Shohl managing partner and chairman George Vincent, former state senator Eric Kearney, business and community leader Delores Hargrove-Young, West Side community leader Pete Witte and Dunn. The task force also includes members from Procter & Gamble, Western & Southern Financial Group, University of Cincinnati, churches and nonprofits.

Dunn, Vincent and Hargrove-Young are chairing the task force, which also will look at:

• Connecting students to schools and universities and job training programs

• Helping older adults maintain their independence

• Providing more transportation options for people with disabilities

• Looking at transportation needs for young professionals and recent college graduates entering the workforce

"We need to start planning for the future," Vincent said."

Logan, Ohio, local public transportation continues to expand

Daily News: News: "LOGAN — As more and more people re-discover the perks of public transportation, area programs that provide transportation services have had to adapt and change to meet the growing demand of the public."

Dayton RTA To Offer Free Rides Thursday

WYSO: "Greater Dayton RTA wants people to leave their cars behind and use public transport for a day.  

Thursday they’re hosting Dump The Pump Day and offering free rides to the public. RTA wants people to try public transport as an alternative to driving themselves."

New public transportation options eyed

.chillicothegazette: "According to 2013 numbers included in the Ohio Department of Transportation’s “Status of Public Transit in Ohio” report released last October, Chillicothe Transit handled 177,509 passengers on fixed-route trips and an additional 21,546 passengers who were served on an on-demand basis in 2013."

ROI multiplier for #publictransit can be high as 9

Public transportation key to our future: "Business leaders know that to be successful, changes in our way of thinking need to occur. Recently, Yaromir Steiner, CEO of Steiner + Associates and developer of Liberty Center, noted that the key to the design and layout of Liberty Center is the millennial generation, "who want walkable, urban areas with parks and public transportation."

Strategic routes and partnerships connecting people to businesses, jobs, health care and shopping benefit our economy and restore a level of dignity and pride in our residents. Successful connections contribute to the vitality of our businesses and communities. The return on investment can be significant. Statistics from the Economic Development Research Group show that a $1 investment in public transit has a rate of return of $4 and in some cases, up to $9."

Why Ohio ignored its own $1M bus, rail study

cincinnati.com: "Spending money on public transportation has rarely been a priority for Ohio lawmakers. Budgets are set up in such a way that public transportation operating money is a line item buried in the general revenue fund – not even in the transportation budget. The Legislature has cut $36.3 million in public transportation money from the general fund since 2000."