Route numbers for streetcars were originally introduced in 1920. Routes originally introduced as bus routes were assigned letters. Discontinued and renumbered routes are in parentheses, along with the Cincinnati Street Railway or Cincinnati Transit route names.
Route numbers identified with "SHORT", were separate numbers assigned to short turn variations of streetcar routes. These route numbers were eventually consolidated into the main streetcar route numbers. Some of the short turn terminals were the original terminals of the routes, later extended. Dates when routes were introduced indicate how the routes evolved.
Most of the routes listed were originally streetcar routes, and were converted to trolleybuses before finally being replaced with diesel buses. Which was a simple matter, due to Cincinnati's unique two wire trolley system for its streetcars. This two wire system existed, because of complaints of interference of ground rail current with telephone systems. Thus, the trolleybus history does account for a major portion of the Cincinnati transit system. As existing streetcar wires could be used for the trolleybuses. Dates listed for those routes are dates converted to trolleybuses. The last trolleybuses were replaced with diesel buses in 1965.
Routes 18, 30, 34, 42, 49, 67, 68, 70, and 78 were converted directly from streetcars to motor buses on the dates indicated.
Many routes had various branches formed after conversion to buses, and are usually indicated by "Bus Ext." Discontinued routes are indicated by "Disc."
Route Route Name Electric Cincinnati (Trolley) Cincinnati
Number (Segment/Former Route Name) Streetcars Street Ry. Buses Transit
Introduced Route No. Introduced Route No.
1 Museum Center (Union Terminal) New Bus 1933? U
1 Zoo HC 1888 49 4/17/49 49
(1) Chapel 1912 1 Disc.
(2) Evanston (SHORT) 1902 2 7/24/49 4
(3) Gilbert (SHORT) HC CC 1898 3 7/24/49 4
3 Montgomery (Kennedy Heights) 1902 4 7/24/49 4
4 Dillonvale Bus Ext. 4
(4) Madeira Bus Ext. 4
4 Blue Ash (Silverton) Bus Ext. 4
4 Ridge Rd. Bus Ext. New SORTA
4 Silverton (Wyatt) Bus Ext. 4
(5) Norwood (SHORT) 1902 5 7/24/49 4
6 Queen City-Bridgetown New Bus 5/16/26 C
(7) North Norwood (SHORT) 1910 7 7/24/49 4
(8) South Norwood 1902 8 1/ 1/49 8 SORTA 64
(9) Vine-Norwood (SHORT) 1913 9 7/24/49 10
(10) Vine-Woodburn 1902 9 7/24/49 10 Disc.
11 Madison Rd. (Oakley) 1901 70 A
11 Erie-Madisonville 1890 69 7/ 6/47 69
11 Mariemont New Bus 4/25/26 A
(15) Clark St. (SHORT) HC 1895 15 12/ 1/36 16
16 Spring Grove (Hartwell) HC 1895 15 12/ 1/36 16
16 Colerain HC 1889 16 6/ 6/48 8
16 Mt. Healthy (Clovernook) Bus Ext. 17
16 College Hill Bus Ext. 19
17 Cedar (College Hill) 1895 17 6/27/48 17
17 Mt. Airy (Groesbeck) Bus Ext. 19
17 Mt. Healthy Bus Ext. 17
17 Seven Hills Bus Ext. New SORTA
17 Northgate Bus Ext. 17
(18) Fairmount HC ???? 18 4/29/51 49 SORTA 49
19 Northgate (Mt. Airy-White Oak) New Bus 7/ 4/26 J
19 Colerain (Groesbeck-Bevis) Bus Ext. 19
(19) John St. HC 1895 19 12/ 1/36 I SORTA 33
(20) 6th St. (SHORT) HC 1895 20 6/ 6/48 8
20 Winton-Tri County New Bus 20
21 Harrison Ave. (Westwood-Cheviot) 1890's 21 4/29/51 21
(22) Lexington Hts.-Daly (Brentwood) New Bus 22
24 Auburn-Clifton HC 1889 53 8/17/47 53
24 Mt. Washington-Anderson-UC New Bus 24
(26) Beechmont-Amelia New Bus 26 SORTA 30
27 Northside-Casey (Cumminsville) New Bus 27
27 Northside-Pullan (Cumminsville) Bus Ext. 8
(27) Linwood 1897 27 9/28/47 27 SORTA 28
(28) East End (SHORT) HC 1891 28 9/28/47 28
28 Milford IU 1903 71 8/24/36 A
(29) New Richmond New Bus 29 Disc.
(30) Fernbank IU 1900 30 6/ 1/41 K SORTA 50
30 Beechmont Express New Bus 26
31 West End-Evanston Crosstown 1897 31 4/11/48 31
32 Delhi-Price Hill (Elberon) 1895 32 3/25/51 32
32 Western Hills-Price Hill HC 1895 36 1951 35
(33) Elberon-8th (SHORT) 1913 33 3/25/51 32
33 Bridgetown-West. Hills-Glenway New Bus 5/16/26 D
(33) Glenway-Gilsey New Bus I
33 John St. (Quebec) HC 1895 19 12/ 1/36 I
(34) Sedamsville HC ???? 34 6/ 1/41 K SORTA 50
(35) Warsaw-Covedale HC 1895 35 3/25/51 35 SORTA 32
(36) Warsaw (SHORT) HC 1895 36 3/25/51 35
(40) Avondale (SHORT) HC 1890 40 4/17/49 47
(41) Chester Park 1928 41 12/ 1/36 16 SORTA 16
41 Mt. Healthy-Oakley Crosstown Bus Ext. New SORTA
(42) Bond Hill 1916 42 9/ 8/28 45 SORTA 45
43 Reading (Lockland) New Bus 5/ 2/26 B
43 Bond Hill 1916 42 9/ 8/28 45
43 Winton Hills (Winton Terrace) 1894 47 4/17/49 47
(44) Highland-Lincoln CC 1902 44 8/17/47 44 SORTA 64
(45) 5th St. HC ???? 45 Disc.
46 Avonview Bus Ext. 46
46 Avondale (Rockdale-Vine-Burnet) HC CC 1898 46 7/22/50 46
46 St. Bernard Bus Ext. 48
(49) Zoo HC 1888 49 4/17/49 49 SORTA 1
49 Fairmount HC ???? 18 4/17/49 49
50 Sayler Park (Fernbank-Addyston) IU 1900 30 6/ 1/41 K
51 Clifton-Hyde Park Crosstown New Bus 4/ 4/26 E
51 Western Hills Uptown (Cheviot) New Bus 5/ 2/26 G
(53) Auburn-Clifton HC 1889 53 8/17/47 53 SORTA 24
(54) Hartwell Junction (SHORT) 1918 54 4/29/51 78
(55) Vine-Clifton HC CC 1898 55 4/29/51 53 SORTA 46
(56) Vine-Zoo-Chester 1911 56 To CSR 54
(56) Golf Manor New Bus N Disc.
(60) Fairview HC 1895 60 3/ 6/49 60 SORTA 51
(61) Clifton-Pullan 1913 61 3/ 6/49 61 Disc.
(62) Ohio HC ???? 62 3/ 6/49 60 Disc.
64 Dana-Erie CC 1902 44 8/17/47 44
64 Norwood-Oakley 1902 8 1/ 1/49 8
64 McMicken HC 1895 64 10/ 9/38 64
64 Westwood (McHenry) New Bus 10/ 7/28 Q
(65) Clifton (SHORT) 1920 65 3/ 6/49 61 Disc.
(67) Edwards 1901 67 7/28/26 E SORTA 51
(68) Delta SD 1891 68 6/18/50 68 SORTA 80
(70) Oakley 1901 70 6/18/50 A SORTA 11
(71) Milford IU 1903 71 8/24/36 A SORTA 28
(71) Cumminsville-Oakley New Bus 4/ 4/26 F Disc.
(72) Mariemont IU 1903 72 1942 A SORTA 11
(74) Hartwell Junction (SHORT) IU 1898 74 4/29/51 78
(75) Wyoming IU 1901 75 11/ 9/32 78 SORTA 78
(76) Glendale IU 1900 76 8/11/31 Disc.
(77) Springdale IU 1901 77 6/ /30 Disc.
78 Woodlawn (Lockland) 1898 78 4/29/51 78
78 Lincoln Heights Bus Ext. 78
78 Springdale-Vine Bus Ext. New SORTA
CH&D Line New Bus 7/ 1/28 H Disc.
Coney Island New Bus 6/19/27 L Disc.
Further information on certain transit routes in the Cincinnati area, which evolved from the the interurban railways in the area. After those railways were abandoned, the Cincinnati Street Railway acquired some track segments and introduced service on those lines. Those routes are identified above with IU.