A very unusual feature of the system was that cars on some of its routes traveled via inclined railways to serve areas on hills near downtown.

With the advent of inexpensive automobiles and improved roads, transit ridership declined in the 20th century and the streetcar system closed in 1951.

[5][6] Cincinnati's first settlers made their home on the large flat basin that now includes downtown, Over-the-Rhine, and the West End.

[4] Cities with hilly terrain such as Cincinnati and San Francisco began adopting cable cars, because they were faster and more reliable than horses.

[10] On all other North American streetcar systems the rails served as the return path for the electric current collected via the trolley pole, but this requires proper bonding of the rails to prevent stray current from escaping and interfering with nearby utility lines, such as telephone lines.

Later, as the syndicate that owned Cincinnati Street Railway was buying out other lines to create a monopoly, they may have leveraged alleged complaints about buzzing sounds on phone lines to file suit, through the phone company (which was owned by the same syndicate) against their competetor, Cincinnati Inclined Plane Company (which used traditional single-wire overhead).

[8] Streetcars remained the main form of public transportation for the city until the growing usage of the automobile caused ridership to wane.

With the improvement of local highways beginning before World War II, citizens were able to own more land and still be able to conveniently drive into the city to enjoy its benefits.

[3][4][10] The Mount Adams Incline closed in 1948, when routine inspection in preparation for repairs revealed that the undergirding timbers were dangerously decayed.

[15] A popular PCC streetcar on San Francisco's F Market & Wharves line is painted bright yellow with green stripes, in honor of the Cincinnati Street Railway.

[16][17] Proposals to build a new streetcar line began being discussed in about 2001, as a way to energize housing and development in Over-the-Rhine, Downtown Cincinnati, and the "uptown" neighborhoods that surround the University of Cincinnati,[18] after Portland, Oregon, opened a modern streetcar system in 2001 that was credited with generating significant new property development in what had been decaying areas adjacent to downtown.