CINCINNATI, Ohio — Wednesday marked the first time since March that passengers could hop on the city’s streetcar and get around downtown, but the road to revive the piece of public transportation was paved with controversy—even on its re-opening day.
Derek Baumann was one of the first to get back on the streetcar, picking it up at his usual stop near Washington Park.
Before the pandemic, he said he used to ride it almost daily.
“It was the major reason I wanted to move to downtown Cincinnati in the first place,” he said.
During his years downtown, Baumann has become a staunch streetcar defender.
“The fact that this continues to be created into a political wedge issue is a waste of time and a disservice to this city,” he said.
The streetcar has been controversial since before it was even built.
Supporters claimed it would stir economic development and attract more people downtown. Opponents thought it would be a waste of taxpayer money, especially for those who don’t live anywhere near the route.
When it stopped running in late March, many thought it would never get back on track.
Then in August, Cincinnati City Council voted to get it running again, overriding Mayor John Cranley’s veto.
“I think that we should be putting our money where our mouth is and our mouth is saying that we care about the pandemic, that we care about the economy, that we care about crime and we care about racial injustice,” Cranley said.
Cranley believes the streetcar is a luxury the city can’t afford, especially in a tight budget year. On Tuesday, he presented an ordinance he thought could turn the tide, using fare money from the street car to pay for more police visibility in areas impacted by recent shootings.
“Like bus riders fares can and should be collected and whatever the amount is it can be used for other priorities that I mentioned,” he said.
Council voted down that ordinance, noting they don’t control bus fares and have no power to change those fees. They also said any money coming from fares would likely make little difference in the budget, and it ultimately could cost more to collect and enforce fares than it would to keep the service free.
Once again, Cranley vetoed their vote, and council overrode his veto.
Baumann agreed with the council decision noting that a few free months could help get ridership and downtown’s economy back on track.
“I think the message should be that, look, Cincinnati is open for business. We want people to come down, get around and be safe,” he said.
For him though, he said it’s a little personal. His father recently moved to Cincinnati to live with him, but he doesn’t have a car.
“He can use the streetcar to go to his doctor’s appointments, get groceries,” Baumann said.
The streetcar allows people like his father to have a little independence and Baumann believes that kind of service is priceless.
“It can just run. That’s how it can be and that’s how it should be,” he said. “It’s been created into this political football that’s been passed back and forth but it doesn’t have to be that way.”
As of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Cincinnati streetcar is running fare free. Council plans to keep it that way for the next two months.
