The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA ) is a public transit agency serving the Columbus metropolitan area, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It operates fixed-route buses, bus rapid transit, microtransit, and paratransit services.
COTA's headquarters are located in the William J. Lhota Building in downtown Columbus. The agency is managed by President and CEO Joanna Pinkerton along with a 13-member board of trustees. COTA is funded by a permanent 0.25% sales tax as well as another 10-year 0.25% sales tax.
The agency was founded in 1971, replacing the private Columbus Transit Company. Mass transit service in the city dates to 1863, progressively with horsecars, streetcars, and buses. The Central Ohio Transit Authority began operating in 1974 and has made gradual improvements to its fleet and network. Its first bus network redesign took place in 2017.
The 2010s have also seen noted service improvements, with the addition of the CBUS free downtown circulator, which ran from 2014 until 2020, its AirConnect airport service in 2016, and the CMAX bus rapid transit service in 2018. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency dealt with declining ridership and staffing, and cut services in response. COTA nevertheless plans to operate several bus rapid transit lines in development in the near future.
History
Prior to COTA's founding, bus service in the area was managed by the privately owned Columbus Transit Company (CTC). In 1971 the CTC was in the midst of budget problems, so in order to maintain bus service in the area, the local governments of central Ohio created COTA. COTA acquired the assets from the CTC on January 1, 1974 and began operations the same day. COTA acquired the CTC bus service for $4.8 million. In mid-1974 COTA established its Park & Ride program and sets up the first routes at area shopping centers. At that time, cash fares were 50 cents.
In 1975, COTA launched the Key Card program, which provided a discount fare for those passengers with disabilities. By the summer of 1976, COTA had established 50 bus shelters. In 1977, COTA started the Commuter Club that offered unlimited riding for $20 a month. One of the first express bus services, the Beeline, was introduced in 1979 giving passengers a speedy ride up and down High Street. That same year, planning began on COTA's operations center on McKinley Ave. In 1992, a 24-hour pass was introduced to allow riders unlimited trips to local and crosstown routes provided by COTA's new lift-equipped buses. From 2007 to 2008, the agency removed all exterior advertisements from its buses, citing diminishing ad revenue and desiring a clean, neat look to the buses.
The agency purchased its downtown office, the William J. Lhota Building, in 2008. Also in 2008, the city of Dublin was added into COTA service areas. In 2016, COTA introduced 4G connectivity in its buses, giving passengers better internet access and allowing for real-time bus tracking to improve communication and efficiency. Real-time bus tracking for passengers began in May 2016 through the Transit app.
On May 1, 2017, the agency overhauled its bus network, the first redesign since COTA's establishment in 1971. The effort simplified routes, increased bus frequency, connected more locations, and reduced bus congestion in downtown Columbus. The redesign doubled the agency's number of frequent lines (from four to eight) and significantly increased weekend service. The project caused a 3.6 percent increase in ridership by May 2018. In August 2017, COTA became the third large transit agency with fleet-wide passenger WiFi. On June 1, 2018, COTA began the C-Pass program, giving employees of certain companies downtown free rides on COTA buses. By 2019, the program enrolled about 420 companies. C-Pass is scheduled to be discontinued on December 31, 2020; property owners will decide whether to fund the program further.