50 Years of Moving Every Life Forward

1974 – Our journey begins with the purchase of CTC bus service for $4.8 million.

1976 – Our first executive director and general manager is hired. Under James E. Reading, COTA installs 50 new shelters.

1978 – The first iteration of the Zoo Bus begins as does Project Mainstream, which serves customers with disabilities.

1980 – McKinley Operations Center opens. Red, White & BOOM! service also begins.

1981 – COTA’s first Flex Bus, a larger capacity vehicle, hits the streets.

1984 – Fields Avenue Facility is built. The first COTA Radio Room is constructed here, allowing every vehicle to be equipped with radio.

1987 – Operator Ed Roberts wins the International Bus Roadeo. He makes history as the first and only Operator to do so.

1991 – Lift-equipped vehicles join the fleet.

1992 – COTA introduces the Day Pass, giving customers access to unlimited daily trips.

1997 – The COTA x OSU partnership begins, allowing students to use their student IDs to ride.

1998 – COTA’s first permanent funding begins. Franklin County voters pass a .25% sales tax and COTA builds its first Transit Center in Linden.

2000 – Customer Care gets an automated phone system, improving our ability to support customers.

2002 – GPS is added to all vehicles.

2004 – COTA launches Bike & Bus service.

2006 – COTA’s Board of Trustees approves the Long Range Transit Plan.

2008 – COTA begins to service Dublin.

2010 – Hybrid vehicles are introduced and admin offices move to the LEED-certified William J. Lhota Building at 33 N. High St. where they are located today.

2011 – COTA leads the nation in growing ridership by nearly 10.2 percent over 2010, according to the American Public Transportation Association.

2012 – COTA receives the Gold Standard Award for Excellence in Security from the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

2013 – Bus Rapid Transit development begins and COTA opens Ohio’s largest CNG fueling station and begins using 30 new CNG-fueled vehicles as we begin a transition to an environmentally friendly fleet.

2016 – Onboard Wi-Fi is introduced.

2017 – The Transit System Redesign (TSR) is launched, a collaborative effort between COTA, public stakeholders and the Board of Trustees to develop a stronger bus network.

2018 – Joanna M. Pinkerton joins COTA as President/CEO and C-pass is introduced, giving eligible downtown workers and residents no-cost COTA access.

2018 – CMAX rapid transit is introduced and COTA is named Outstanding Public Transportation System by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

2019 – Mainstream On-Demand launches, providing origin-to-destination transportation for people whose functional limitations prevent them from riding fixed-route services.

2019 – Customers can pay without cash for the first time through COTA Connector.

2019 – COTA//Plus is introduced, a ride-hailing service.

2019 – A new, interactive Customer Experience Center opens downtown.

2020 – COTA earns the Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award for the second time in three years.

2021 – The first electric vehicles are added to the fleet.

2023 – COTA breaks ground on the Mobility Center at Rickenbacker.