Metro's on-demand MetroNow! service launches its fifth zone on Sunday, Aug. 30, covering Bond Hill, Roselawn and eight surrounding communities. The expansion comes as the Blue Ash/Montgomery zone approaches its first anniversary.
The new Bond Hill/Roselawn zone also covers St. Bernard, Wyoming, Lockland, Norwood, Arlington Heights, Carthage, North Avondale and Elmwood Place. It is the first MetroNow! zone within Cincinnati city limits, according to Mass Transit Magazine.
Metro CEO Andy Aiello noted the zone's long list of neighborhoods. "We were going to put that on the front of the bus but it's just way too long," he said, according to WVXU.
The program uses smaller vehicles instead of standard 40-foot buses to reach narrower streets. It has logged about 350,000 rides since its 2023 pilot launch, Metro Board Chair Blake Ethridge said. Ridership grew 40 percent from June 2025 to June 2026 across all zones.
Grocery stores have been the most popular destination for MetroNow! riders, according to Metro officials.
What it means for Blue Ash and Montgomery
Metro added the Blue Ash/Montgomery zone in October 2025 as the program's fourth zone. No zone-specific ridership figures have been released. A planned sixth zone in Monfort Heights/Finneytown has no announced launch date.
The Bond Hill/Roselawn zone will connect riders with 12 fixed Metro bus routes. Across all five zones, riders can reach 23 Metro routes, nearly half the fixed-route network. Blue Ash and Montgomery riders can use MetroNow! as a first-mile or last-mile link to the broader bus system.
Metro's overall ridership has reached 117 percent of pre-pandemic levels, according to a TechTimes report published Aug. 17.
How to ride
MetroNow! costs $2.50 per trip. The service runs 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
Riders can choose a quicker pickup at a designated spot, usually no more than a block away, or wait slightly longer for a van to come directly to their address. Trips are booked through Metro's app or by calling 513-551-5555.
