Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky
Public Transit System in Northern Kentucky
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 6,000< per weekday as of the second quarter of 2026.
Fort Wright, Kentucky[1]
| |
 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 | 6,000< (weekdays, Q2 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
TANK 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
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.[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
| 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 |
| 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
| 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 |
