UC*Metro Program

The UC*Metro Program offers discount transportation options for eligible enrolled UC students and UC employees for use when riding Metro regional buses or Access mini-buses. The Program is funded by UC Administration and UC Student Government, and administered by UC Facilities Management Department.    

QR Code for additional program Information

Announcement: Spring Semester discount is now available for registration. Please register below for your Spring Discount, this will be active until 5/4/24. 

The EZ Ride Discount Program is free to eligible students and staff and can be used to ride anywhere Metro goes for only $1 – due to limitations in the app, you must purchase $1 ride tickets in bundles of two for $2. Better deal: Purchase a half-fare day pass for only $2 for unlimited rides during the service day on all Hamilton County local service routes for even greater savings.

Hey UC – We’re Reinventing Metro for You

The UC*Metro EZ Ride Discount Program is available to University of Cincinnati students and staff to help them beat high gas prices and parking hassles associated with commuting to school, work, athletic events, shopping and socializing.

NEW: UC students and staff can now use Transit with the EZfare app to pay their Metro fare – no more cards.

 

You will download Metro’s transit app.  *Physical cards are not being issued

1.Register for the UC/Metro discount here https://webapps2.uc.edu/metrocard/  *note the email used in your registration here has to be the exact same one you use in the Metro EZfare registration

2.Download the Metro Transit app here  https://transitapp.com/

3.The easiest way to get the EZfare portal to pop up the first time in the transit app is to act like you are going to purchase a fare and it will walk you through registration.  *ensure the same email is used that was shown in step one

4.Allow Metro 5 days for processing to tie the discount to your EZfare portal.

*the registrations are all sent nightly to Metro to match up with EZfare accounts and if you did not have an EZfare account set up yet the would be unable to go any further when they are trying to load your discount.  If you think this may be the case please repeat step 1 above.

METRO requests that you allow 3-5 business days for them to get the discounts loaded into your EZfare portal.

How to use the TRANSIT App

When you open your transit app to purchase rides you will select the EZfare Buy Ticket option->

under transit system ensure that Metro Cincinnati/Hamilton County is selected->

your discounted options will be UC 1-Ride for $1.00 or UC  Local  Day Pass for $2->

select your preferred option->

Accept->

Enter the quantity that you would like to purchase->

Pay with card or from funds that you may have preloaded onto your EZfare portal.

Once you’ve set up your Transit with EZfare account, UC students and staff must apply online at UC to enroll in the program each semester. Eligibility is determined at the time of online application.

Here are some things to keep in mind about the UC Metro Discount program:

·         Valid for one semester only – tickets in the app are available on the first day of the semester and they expire on the first day of the following semester. You must register each semester to participate in the discount program.

·         At the end of the semester, any unused tickets will expire, so purchase your tickets wisely. You are limited to purchasing NUMBER of tickets at one time to avoid losing any ticket value when the semester ends. No refunds will be given.

·         Tap your phone on the validator on the bus and show your UC ID to the operator when boarding.

·         Tickets may be used 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week for unlimited rides per day wherever Metro buses travel.

·         Tickets may only be used by the student or staff member who is enrolled or employed by UC at the time of registration.

For questions about the UC*Metro Program, contact Amiee Gibson at caylorae@UCMAIL.UC.EDU or 513-556-4424.

 

Eligibility

To be "Eligible" to participate in the program, a UC student must:

  1. Be enrolled in classes AND
  2. Possess a valid UC Photo Identification Card (from UC Public Safety)

Please be certain to meet both of these criteria.

UC Metro EZ Ride Discount

The places you can go with Metro

Fun Facts

  • All new Cincinnati Metro buses are driven 2,388 miles from Livermore, California to Cincinnati, Ohio.
  • Metro buses drive about 10 million miles each year.
  • Metro's Rt. 43 travels the most miles every year clocking in 808k miles.
  • A new Metro bus weighs 39,440 pounds.
  • Buses have been servicing Cincinnati since 1926.
  • Taking public transit is 90% safer than commuting by car.

Metro is a non-profit, tax-funded public service of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), which operates regional Metro buses and smaller Access mini-buses (origin-to-destination transportation for people whose disabilities prevent them from riding Metro buses.)  Metro provides about 17 million rides per year in the Greater Cincinnati area.