Cincinnati Public Schools transportation changes for 2023: What you need to know

CINCINNATI (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER) - More than half of Cincinnati Public Schools kids were chronically absent during the 2021-22 school year, meaning they missed 18 or more days of school.

Kids can’t learn if they aren’t in school. So the district is trying new strategies this upcoming school year, alongside Metro, to address ongoing transportation issues. Superintendent Iranetta Wright will go over these updates in a virtual session Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Participants can join online through the district’s website.

CPS is the largest district in southwest Ohio and the second-largest school system in the state. It serves nearly 36,000 students in more than 60 schools. This fall, school begins Aug. 17 for all students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Preschools begin Aug. 21.

Is my student on a yellow bus or taking Metro?

Students in grades K-8 will take yellow buses this school year. Those routes can be located in PowerSchool starting Tuesday. The routes can be found on a desktop computer but are not available in the PowerSchool mobile app. The district recommends using the MyStop App to track your student’s yellow bus.

Students in grades 9-12 will take Metro. Metro passes will be handed out during orientation or on the first day of school and are active Aug. 13 through June 30, from 6 to 9:30 a.m. and 1 to 6:30 p.m. on school days. Those routes can be located using the Google Trip Planner tool or in the Metro Transit app. Students who need after-school Metro passes will be provided with them on a quarterly basis.

Seventh and eighth graders who participate in after-school activities may receive a Metro pass from their school for evening transportation home.

Families who want their student in grades 7-8 to take Metro can opt-in online to receive a pass.

How is Metro ensuring timeliness and safety for CPS kids?

During a presentation at Monday’s school board meeting, Chief Operations Officer for the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority John Ravasio listed the following resources provided through Metro’s partnership with CPS:

• On-board audio and video recordings to be provided to CPS upon request.
• Staffing Cincinnati Police officers at Metro transit centers and on routes randomly as needed.
• Extra Metro staff available at the start of the school year to assist students at the Government Square, Northside, Glenway and Oakley stops.

The average travel time for all trips is nearly 55 minutes, Ravasio said. Metro is working on two new crosstown routes for faster service that don’t involve downtown transfers, which will hopefully be implemented in the second semester.\

What time does school start in Cincinnati?

In April the district announced new start times. Some schools are shifting by more than an hour, while the majority are shifting by 15 minutes or less and a handful are staying the same.

Previously, the district operated with eight different start times. Starting this fall, there will be a four-tiered start time schedule: 7:40 a.m., 8 a.m., 8:50 a.m. and 9:10 a.m.

To see when your child’s school will start in the fall, click here.