Image Source: Butler County Regional Transit Authority
Key Facts
Location: Butler, Hamilton, Montgomery, and Warren Counties
Partners: Cities of Middletown and Monroe, Atrium Medical Center, and the Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA)
Summary: Public-private partnerships have paved the road for a new dedicated transit service that connects residents, in Butler, Hamilton, Montgomery, and Warren counties, to employers across the growing I-75 industrial corridor.
About
Public transit is an essential service that is increasingly playing a role in economic competitiveness. It can increase accessibility throughout a region and serve as a resource for employers who require larger workforces. In response to the increasing need for more regional connectivity, the cities of Middletown and Monroe have partnered with Butler County RTA to create WorkLink. Area employers, along I-75, found difficulty addressing high employee turnover in a tight job market. Lack of unreliable personal transportation is an emerging obstacle for many entry-level workers across the state, and can negatively impact an employer’s efforts to retain a trained workforce. WorkLink addresses explicitly this challenge experienced by county job centers.
WorkLink is an experimental transit service. It launched in September 2018 and creates a user-friendly system for employees, while also providing a useful recruitment tool for employers. The route aims to connect workers from across the Southwestern Ohio region to available jobs along I-75 in Butler County. WorkLink reflects local leaders’ awareness of new job creation patterns. By expanding service outside of their Central Business Districts, Monroe and Middletown are connecting their expanding employment centers better and providing transportation options for a diverse regional workforce.
WorkLink connects the Greater Dayton RTA hub in Miami Township to the Metro/SORTA Park and Ride in West Chester Township. It is the first route to allow Dayton and Cincinnati residents to connect to job hubs in West Chester, Monroe, Middletown, and Miamisburg. It is also the first to provide connections between GDRTA, Metro/SORTA, and the CATS system in Greene County.
Beginning on March 23, 2020, the fixed-route WorkLink service will transition to BCRTA’s new BGo service, which offers curb-to-curb connections through real-time, in-app scheduling. BGo will pick-up and drop-off between the Dayton South Hub and the existing BGo service area, Monday through Friday, from 6 am to 11 pm. This change in service is an improvement to the initial fixed-route that only operated three times per day. It will give riders greater flexibility and help ensure that WorkLink continues to be responsive to changes in rider demand and meets the needs of area employees.
More Information
“WorkLink Phase II,” Butler County Regional Transit Authority
“Workforce Transit Route Planned to Connect Region,” Bulter County Regional Transit Authority
“New job shuttle links Butler County to Cincinnati, Dayton,” Journal-News
“Workforce transit route to connect Dayton, Cincinnati,” Dayton Business Journal
“New bus route connects workers to jobs along I-75,” Dayton Daily News