Central Ohio Transit Authority
Encyclopedia
The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) is a public sector
transit agency serving Franklin County
and the rest of the central Ohio area, which includes Columbus
, as well as Bexley
, Gahanna
, Grandview Heights
, Grove City
, Hilliard
, Reynoldsburg
, Upper Arlington
, Westerville
, Whitehall
, and Worthington
. Currently, COTA only manages bus service, though light-rail or streetcar service has been discussed several times in recent years.
COTA's administrative offices, as well as its bus garages are located in downtown Columbus. It is managed by CEO Bill Lhota, as well as 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 which went into effect January 1, 2008.
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 400000 square feet (37,161.2 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.
By 1997, COTA partners 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.
A variety of buses make up COTA's fleet. As of June 2011 there are 308 buses in COTA's fleet, 6 of those 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 104000 square feet (9,661.9 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.
As of June 2011, there are seven people in COTA's executive leadership team. This includes President and CEO, Bill Lhota, Senior VP and COO, Curtis Stitt, VP of Planning, Doug Moore, VP of Legal Affairs and General Counsel, Marchelle Moore, VP of Operations, Pat Stephens, VP of Communications, Marketing, and Customer Service, Marty Stutz, and VP of Finance and CFO, Marion White.
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
transit agency serving Franklin County
Franklin County, Ohio
Franklin County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. In 2010 the population was 1,163,414, making it the second largest county in Ohio and the 34th largest county in population in the United States. Franklin County is also the largest in the eight-county Columbus, Ohio...
and the rest of the central Ohio area, which includes Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, as well as Bexley
Bexley, Ohio
Bexley is an affluent suburban city in Franklin County, Ohio. Founded as a village over a hundred years ago, the City of Bexley is an old, tree-lined suburb of Columbus, the state capital of Ohio, situated on the banks of Alum Creek next to Driving Park and Wolfe Park, just east of the Franklin...
, Gahanna
Gahanna, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 32,636 people, 11,990 households, and 8,932 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,632.8 people per square mile . There were 12,390 housing units at an average density of 999.5 per square mile...
, Grandview Heights
Grandview Heights, Ohio
Grandview Heights is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,695 at the 2000 census.The city was originally part of Marble Cliff, one of the first suburbs of Columbus, which settled as a community in 1890 and incorporated as the "Hamlet of Marble Cliff" in 1901...
, Grove City
Grove City, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,075 people, 10,265 households, and 7,544 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,941.2 people per square mile . There were 10,712 housing units at an average density of 768.0 per square mile...
, Hilliard
Hilliard, Ohio
Hilliard is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 28,435 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hilliard is located at . It is bordered on the east by Upper Arlington, on the north by Dublin, on the south by Galloway and Columbus, and to the west lies open farmland...
, Reynoldsburg
Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Reynoldsburg is a city in Fairfield, Franklin, and Licking counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a suburban community in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area...
, Upper Arlington
Upper Arlington, Ohio
Upper Arlington is a suburban city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. The population was 33,686 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, Westerville
Westerville, Ohio
Westerville, once known as "The Dry Capital of the World", is a city in Franklin and Delaware counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 35,318 at the 2000 census.-Early history:...
, Whitehall
Whitehall, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,201 people, 8,343 households, and 4,930 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,681.9 people per square mile . There were 8,997 housing units at an average density of 1,725.2 per square mile...
, and Worthington
Worthington, Ohio
-Dissolution of the Company:By August 11, 1804 the plat maps were completed, payments or notes promising payments collected and deeds prepared for all sixteen thousand acres of the Scioto Company's purchase...
. Currently, COTA only manages bus service, though light-rail or streetcar service has been discussed several times in recent years.
COTA's administrative offices, as well as its bus garages are located in downtown Columbus. It is managed by CEO Bill Lhota, as well as 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 which went into effect January 1, 2008.
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 400000 square feet (37,161.2 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.
By 1997, COTA partners 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
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 104000 square feet (9,661.9 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.
Employees
As of June 2011, COTA has a total of 803 employees. 181 of those are administration. The 13 member board of trustees each serve three year terms.As of June 2011, there are seven people in COTA's executive leadership team. This includes President and CEO, Bill Lhota, Senior VP and COO, Curtis Stitt, VP of Planning, Doug Moore, VP of Legal Affairs and General Counsel, Marchelle Moore, VP of Operations, Pat Stephens, VP of Communications, Marketing, and Customer Service, Marty Stutz, and VP of Finance and CFO, Marion White.
See also
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- Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority, serving Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
- Ohio Department of TransportationOhio Department of TransportationThe Ohio Department of Transportation is the organization of state government responsible for developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the state of Ohio with exception of the Ohio Turnpike. In addition to highways, the department also helps develop public transportation and...
- SORTASortaSorta is a rock band based in Dallas, Texas. The band has been honored with various awards over the years, including awards for individual group members, and a "Best Act in Town" win in 2006...
, serving Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, OhioCincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...