The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority's Cincinnati Metro and Uber Cincinnati announced a partnership that will help make it easier for riders to get to and from bus stops throughout the city.

Metro is encouraging the community to use Uber’s service to help expand their ability to use public transportation, including getting them to and from their nearest bus stop, to destinations that may be beyond Metro’s normal service area or take return trips after Metro’s service ends.

By connecting to a reliable ride through the Uber app, Metro riders can move to and from stops across Cincinnati, complimenting existing transit lines and encouraging multi-modal transportation as a commuting option.

As part of the exclusive partnership, Metro customers will begin seeing interior transit cards on buses advertising a unique code for a free ride on Uber for first-time users.

“Many of our customers have expressed their interest in using rideshare services like Uber in conjunction with their Metro trip to bridge the gap between service hours and locations,” said Metro CEO/GM Dwight A. Ferrell. “We’ve seen the significant success Uber has had with other major public transit providers. We believe Uber is an ideal partner to help us meet the needs of our customers, ultimately making their experience as convenient and enjoyable as possible.”

Since Uber arrived in Cincinnati in April of 2014, hundreds of thousands of trips have been completed through the Uber app. In January of 2016, Governor Kasich signed HB 237 into law, a bill that created comprehensive, statewide regulations for ridesharing.