Central Ohio Transit Authority

History

Prior to COTA, the bus service in the area was managed by the 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 N Ride program and sets up the first routes at area shopping centers. At that time, cash fares were 50 cents.

In 1975, COTA launches the Key Card program, which provides a discount fare for those passengers with disabilities. By the summer of 1976, COTA had established 50 bus shelters. In 1977, COTA starts the Commuter Club that offers 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 a construction began on COTA's 400,000-square-foot (37,000 m²) operations center on McKinley Ave. One year later in 1980, COTA begins to provide transportation for Red, White & BOOM! In 1992, the DayPass is introduced to allow riders unlimited trips to local and crosstown routes provided by COTA's new lift-equipped buses.

Since 1997, COTA has partnered with The Ohio State University so students can show their Buck-ID and ride the new GO BUS! system hassle-free. Due to the permanent 0.25 percent sales tax to help fund public transit, ridership continues to grow over the years and increase again in 2008 due to the soaring gas prices. Also in 2008, the City of Dublin is welcomed into the COTA service territory.

Service

All 308 buses in COTA's fleet are fixed route buses. 58 of those are demand-response/paratransit vehicles.

Fleet & Mobility Services Facility

A variety of buses make up COTA's fleet. As of June 2011 there are 308 buses in COTA's fleet, six of which are hybrid-electric buses. In June 2010 COTA introduced six new environmentally friendly buses. COTA is reducing its carbon footprint through these new hybrid buses. They feature: a 48 percent increase in fuel efficiency, a battery-powered electric motor and regenerative brakes that power the battery when pressed, an LED lighting system used inside and outside of the vehicle, and most importantly a smoother ride for passengers since the electric motors do not require shifting.

Specific technologies and equipment have been added to the buses and operational facilities to help increase efficiency and safety. Due to rising gas prices, COTA is ultimately concerned with reducing fuel emissions, which sparked the addition of the hybrid-electric buses. Additional aspects added to the buses include taller mirrors with warning lights on them for safety, steering with new style steering assist to make it easier for operators and also to create more room and increased safety for larger drivers. New hardware and software was also installed in the 2011 buses and non-revenue vehicles to improve synchronization of systems through COTA and its vehicles while improving accuracy of GPS/real time information and operator communication and knowledge. COTA has also improved efficiency and safety through its brand-new paratransit facility that centralized all operators into one location. Maintenance workers, operators, administration, the call center, bus barn, and dispatch are now under the same roof to create a more functional assessment center for better accuracy in determination of paratransit eligibility.

The Mobility Services Facility is located at 1330 Fields Ave. Columbus, OH 43201. COTA's Mainstream demand-response program moved into this new, sustainable 104,000-square-foot (9,700 m²) facility on Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. This brand-new paratransit facility houses all of its operations, maintenance, and administration in a single location. The project cost $21.7 million with eighty-five percent of the cost federally funded. Of the federal support, $5.1 million was American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funds. The facility holds 110 paratransit vehicles, 6 vehicle maintenance bays, administrative offices, state-of-the-art eligibility assessment center, one bus wash, and two fueling islands. The building relies heavily on natural light, reducing its dependence on artificial light. The building also contains a rainwater harvesting system which captures and stores the water for use by the bus wash and toilets. The landscape was also designed to be low maintenance and to not require an irrigation system. Additionally, the HVAC system was built below-floor providing both heat and air conditioning, which reduces the heat or cool air lost when traveling through typical air ducts.

In 2011, COTA conducted a study to consider potential benefits of switching to compressed natural gas (CNG) to power its fixed-route bus fleet. The study compared costs of CNG versus diesel fuel, operational and maintenance expenses, market forces and infrastructure costs. In keeping with COTA’s robust “Going Green” program, environmental impacts, particularly emissions, were also evaluated. COTA officials also visited and studied other public transit systems operating CNG fleets.

In late 2011, COTA made the decision to move forward with the transition to CNG and updated existing plans for the renovation of the McKinley Operations facility to include CNG compatible modifications. COTA is in the midst of a $76 million renovation of its McKinley Avenue Fixed-Route Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility. The 400,000 square foot facility is the larger and older (completed in 1974) of its two fixed-route operations facilities.

In mid-February 2013, COTA began taking delivery of the first of 30 CNG buses. These buses will be integrated into the fleet’s rotation once the necessary vehicle maintenance training and certifications are complete.

The transition to a completely CNG fleet will be a 12-year process that will occur as coaches are retired and replaced, and additional coaches are purchased as part of COTA’s ongoing service expansion program. The transition will also require remodeling with upgrades for CNG at several COTA facilities including a second CNG fueling station at its Fields Avenue Fixed-Route Bus Facility.

Current Fleet

Retired Fleet

(from Columbus Transit Co in 1974 - total of 244 buses)

Employees

As of July 2012, COTA has a total of 841 employees. 181 of those are administration. The 13 member board of trustees each serve three year terms.

As of October 2013, there are seven people in COTA's executive leadership team. This includes President and CEO, Curtis Stitt, VP of Legal Affairs and General Counsel, Marchelle Moore, Interim VP of Operations, Chris Cole, Interim VP of Planning, Mike Bradley, VP of Communications, Marketing, and Customer Service, R. Marty Stutz, VP of Human Resources and Labor Relations, Kristen Treadway and VP of Finance and CFO, Marion White.