Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) launches Plus, an on-demand transit pilot, to serve Northeast Franklin County during COVID-19 pandemic

The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) is piloting COTA/Plus, a microtransit service, to complement existing transit options during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new COTA//Plus option is an on-demand pilot project to better serve northeast Franklin County customers impacted by COVID-19 service changes. The service is available from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., seven days a week and will require no fare in accordance with COTA’s current emergency operations. This is the second COTA//Plus pilot launched by COTA in the past year. This three-month pilot will provide transit access for customers who are experiencing lost fixed-route service in parts of Northeast Columbus, Westerville, Gahanna and New Albany. The area includes job centers such as Mount Carmel East Hospital and Easton. In April, COTA temporarily suspended Lines 25 (Brice), 35 (Dublin-Granville) and 45 (New Albany) to ease demands on operators during the pandemic.