The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky has announced new service improvements that will take effect this Saturday, November 7.
The service updates reflect community input gathered in 2025. TANK sought feedback from riders, employees, nonprofit organizations, major employers and local government officials to help shape the improvements. In addition, TANK hosted public meetings in September to share details about the proposed service improvements and answer questions from community members.
Among some of the service improvements:
• Route 1 will be extended to Newport with service ending at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Ft. Thomas
• Peak frequency on Routes 3, 7 and 12 will increase from hourly service to every 30 minutes
• Peak frequency on Routes 5 and 8 will increase from hourly service to every 40 minutes
• The Southbank Shuttle and Route 16 will be removed. Southbank Shuttle will be replaced with a new high-frequency corridor connecting downtown Newport, Covington and downtown Cincinnati, with fixed- route service arriving every 15 minutes or less. Route 16 will be replaced by the extended Route 1, and West Newport will continue to have access to the fare-free Licking River Link shuttle route.
• The TANK Plus zone will expand to include the Alexandria Walmart and Village Green Shopping Center, with a six-mile distance cap designed to improve trip efficiency.
• Routes 3 and 12 will operate as an interlined pair, as will Routes 7 and 25 and Routes 5 and 8. Route 1 will operate as a standalone service. Current interlined pairings are Routes 1 and 25, 7 and 12, 3 and 16, and 5 and 8.
In addition, route timetables will be updated to better reflect traffic conditions and actual travel times, helping improve on-time performance.
“The new service is designed to better align with how people travel today while ensuring we can continue providing dependable public transportation throughout our service area,” said Gina Douthat, TANK general manager. “Community feedback played an important role in this process, helping us make thoughtful decisions that balance rider needs with the long-term health of our transit system.”
For more information and full details regarding the service improvements, visit: tankbus.org/building-better-transit.
Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky