Lisa Aulick

The Planning and Operations Committee meeting agenda included several general items such as the Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance. Briefing items covered the "Good News!" report, the Ridership and Service Quality Report as of January 20th, 2026, updates on MetroRapid and Government Square, and a Ridership Deep Dive. Action items involved proposed resolutions for contract modification for the Mobility Rewards Program and contract awards for Bus, Service Vehicle & Cellular Service, Metro Family Day, and the BRT Independent Cost Estimating Consultant. The January 20th meeting minutes detailed discussions on December 2025 ridership (986,734 total, 11.8% unfavorable to budget), Service Quality Metrics, and several proposed contract awards for technical support, police detail, reconstruction services, diesel fuel, gasoline fuel, and transit brake kits. The subsequent deep dive analysis focused on understanding ridership growth by examining network analysis by route, corridor, and entire service area, investigating impacts of On-Time Performance (OTP), missed trips, MetroNow service, the fare payment app, and external factors like unemployment rates.

The Finance Committee meeting covered the presentation of the January 2026 financial report, noting variances in total revenues, total expenses, operating capital contribution, and ridership compared to the budget. The committee also reviewed the fuel hedging program and activity. Furthermore, the committee accepted and approved the Investment of Funds Reports as of January 31st, 2026, noting yield comparisons between January and December. Finally, the committee agreed to recommend a proposed resolution to the full Board for the approval of an updated fuel hedging policy, specifically regarding an increase in the purchase threshold.

The committee meeting included the presentation of the Good News report, covering topics such as December Silver Award recipients, Metro on Capital Hill, new digital signs at the Northside Transit Center, Ohio Loves Transit Week, and Cincinnati Transit x Monopoly. A detailed Ridership and Service Quality Report for January 2026 was reviewed, noting total ridership at 992,557, which was unfavorable to budget. Updates were also provided for MetroRapid, including discussions on design, environmental aspects, and stakeholder engagement, as well as an update on Government Square. A deep dive analysis into ridership was presented to understand stagnation. The committee agreed to recommend four proposed contract awards to the full Board for approval via the consent agenda: Contract No. 005-2026 for Bus, Service Vehicle & Cellular Service; Contract No. 006-2026 for Metro Family Day; Contract No. 099-2024 for Monthly Rewards Program; and Contract No. 135-2025 for BRT Independent Cost Estimating Consultant. The next meeting is scheduled for March 17th, 2026.

The meeting began with a hearing from citizens representing the Better Bus Initiative, who advocated for bus stop benches by 2030 and invited board members to a subsequent meeting. Another citizen requested staff cease selling rail assets. Key actions included the adoption of an updated fuel hedging policy. The Planning and Operations Committee presented several contract approvals, including the award for the 099-2024-SS Rider Rewards Program (increasing the not-to-exceed value by $300,000), a contract with Verizon Wireless for service vehicles and cell service, a contract for Kings Island Family Day, and a contract for BRT Independent Cost Estimating Service. The Board also received updates on the January 2026 financial reports, which indicated total revenues of $13.4 million (unfavorable to budget by $129K) and total expenses of $14.4 million (favorable to budget by $492k). Furthermore, updates were provided on the Strategic Plan and current Progress and Priorities, including legislative updates and workforce development.

The board meeting included several general items such as a call to order, pledge of allegiance, and hearings from citizens, followed by a Chair Update. Key action items involved the approval of an updated Fuel Hedging Policy. Finance committee discussions focused on the January 2026 financial results, showing total revenues of $17.8 million (favorable to budget by $911K) and total expenses of $15.0 million (unfavorable to budget by $869K), as well as approving a procurement transaction increase. The Planning & Operations Committee presented a procurement consent agenda covering several contract awards: a modification for the Mobility Rewards Program with Velocia Inc., contracts for Bus, Service Vehicle & Cellular Service with Verizon Wireless, the Metro Family Day contract with Kings Island Company, and a contract award for the BRT Independent Cost Estimating Consultant with SRF Consulting Group. Briefing items included updates on the Strategic Plan and Progress and Priorities.