Codes & Policies
Helping Everyone Stay Safely in the Fast Lane
Helping Everyone Stay Safely in the Fast Lane
Your safety and comfort are our top priorities. These policies help us maintain a welcoming environment for all passengers while ensuring efficient service throughout Central Ohio.
Passenger Code of Conduct
Your Guide to a Safe and Comfortable Ride
We want every journey with COTA to be pleasant for everyone on board. These guidelines help us maintain a safe, clean and welcoming environment for all passengers.
Before You Board
Plan Your Trip
- Visit cota.com, use the Transit app or call COTA Customer Care at 614-228-1776
- Please be at your stop five minutes before the scheduled departure time.
Have Your Fare Ready
- Exact cash fare or acceptable fare payment is required.
- Accepted Fare Payment: Daily or monthly pass, student pass, Smartcard, Transit app, or digital payment method such as Apple Pay or Google Wallet.
- COTA fareboxes do not issue change, but will issue vouchers for amounts $2 or greater upon request.
- Vouchers may be redeemed at the COTA Pass Sales Office at 33 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio 43215.
- Your bus Operator may deny service if you do not have proper fare or improperly use fare media, such as using someone else’s pass or using expired passes.
On the Bus
Strollers and Carts
- Strollers and carts are permitted on the bus.
- Please ensure that your child is secured and the wheels are locked.
- For your safety, bus Operators must keep aisles and doorways clear and may request that you fold or collapse your stroller or cart, or move to the rear of the bus with your stroller or cart.
Service Animals
- Service animals trained to assist people with disabilities are welcome on board.
- Please keep your service animal on a leash and ensure they remain well-behaved throughout the ride.
- Other animals or pets can ride only if they are inside a cage or case that fits on your lap.
ADA Mobility Devices
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that any ADA mobility device on board a bus be secured to protect your fellow passengers and yourself.
- The bus Operator will secure your device.
- Passengers are asked to move from the priority seating area by the door to give seats to seniors and people with disabilities.
- Please cooperate with your bus Operator to ensure everyone has a safe ride.
Motorized Devices
- Motorized devices, such as scooters and Segways, are prohibited on the bus.
- Motorized devices do not include ADA mobility devices.
Be Considerate
Don’t Distract the Bus Operator
- Your Operator’s first concern is to ensure you arrive to your destination safely.
- Please avoid prolonged conversations with the Operator while the bus is in motion.
Volume and Noise
- Use a low speaking voice during phone conversations and avoid using offensive words.
- Use headphones with sound-producing electronic devices such as cell phones.
- Headphones should be kept at a low to moderate volume.
Behavior
- Loud and disruptive behavior affects everyone.
- Avoid foul language or gestures, running and yelling.
- Throwing objects, spitting or fighting also is prohibited.
- Assaulting, harassing or intimidating the Operator or other passengers could cause you to be arrested or banned from riding COTA.
Keep It Clean
- No feet on the seat.
- Do not leave trash behind.
- Shirt and shoes must be worn while riding.
- COTA requires that its customers maintain acceptable hygiene when riding the bus.
- Refrain from exposing other passengers to bodily fluids of any kind or odors that may present serious health or safety risks, including at any COTA property like bus stops.
What’s Not Allowed
No Smoking
- Smoking, using any type of tobacco product or using e-cigarettes is prohibited.
- Please exhale all smoke before boarding.
- You cannot smoke on any COTA property, including bus shelters, terminals and buses.
No Eating or Drinking
- Passengers are not permitted to eat or drink when riding.
- Any food or drink brought on board must be completely covered.
No Drugs or Alcohol
- Using drugs or drinking alcohol on any COTA property violates COTA policy and Ohio law.
No Illegal Weapons
- Illegal weapons are forbidden on any COTA property.
No Dangerous Equipment
- Dangerous equipment that may cause a fire or explosion on the bus — such as car batteries, gas cans, lawn mowers or paint thinner — is not allowed on the bus.
No Solicitation or Petitioning
- Soliciting, panhandling, canvassing, selling or distributing any material is prohibited on COTA property, including the bus.
IMPORTANT REMINDER
COTA reserves the right to deny service to those not in compliance with these rules to keep all passengers and Operators safe and comfortable.
Fare Policies
Fair and Transparent Pricing
COTA reviews fares every three years to keep them affordable while covering reasonable operating costs. We hold public meetings before any changes and carefully consider community feedback.
How We Set Fares
Our Goal: We aim to recover about 20% of our operating costs through fares, which aligns with the national average for transit systems of our size. This balanced approach keeps fares affordable for our community while ensuring we can maintain reliable service and cover essential operating expenses.
Fare Change Process
- Every two years, we prepare detailed financial projections for the next five years as part of our Short-Range Transit Plan, which identifies when fare changes might be needed.
- Before implementing any fare increase, we hold public meetings in accessible downtown locations at least two months in advance to gather community input.
- Our Board of Trustees and management actively consider all public comments and thoroughly analyze any suggested alternatives before making final decisions.
- Once a fare change is approved, we notify the Ohio Department of Transportation and send press releases to newspapers, radio and TV stations and COTA-produced media to ensure everyone is informed.
Fare Structure Policy
Adopted by the Board of Trustees on Nov. 17, 2009.
A 20% farebox recovery ratio is hereby adopted as the appropriate ratio target to be considered by staff, along with affordability and other criteria, when recommending future fare increase.
The President/CEO be, and hereby is, authorized to take such further action and execute and deliver such further documents as, acting with the advice of counsel, shall be deemed necessary and appropriate to carry out the intent of this Resolution. [See above Fare Change Policy]
Fare Equity
Federal Requirements for Fair Fare Changes: Federal law requires us to study how any fare changes might affect minority and low-income communities before we implement them. Here’s how we ensure fairness:
What We Analyze: Before any fare change, we use ridership surveys to see which groups are more likely to use specific types of passes or payment methods that would be affected. We then compare how the proposed changes would impact minority and low-income riders compared to all riders.
How We Address Problems: If we find that a fare change would unfairly burden minority or low-income communities, we first try to modify our proposal to reduce or eliminate that impact. We hold public meetings to get community input on solutions and alternatives.
When Changes Still Happen: Only if we can’t find a less harmful alternative, and only if we have a strong justification that serves important transit goals, would we proceed with a change that disproportionately affects these communities. For low-income populations, we work to minimize any unfair burdens wherever possible.
Our Commitment: We are dedicated to ensuring that fare changes don’t place an unfair burden on the communities that depend on public transit the most.
Fare Equity Analysis Policy
Adopted by the Board of Trustees on June 26, 2013
The FTA requires COTA to evaluate the effects of fare changes on minority populations and low-income populations.
A minority population is any readily identifiable group of minority persons (persons identified by race, color or national origin) who live in geographic proximity.
A low-income population is any readily identifiable group of households who live in geographic proximity and whose median household income is at or below 150% of the Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines.
For proposed changes that would increase or decrease the fares on the entire system, or on certain transit modes or by fare payment type or fare media, COTA shall analyze any available information generated from ridership surveys indicating whether minority and/or low-income riders are disproportionately more likely to use the mode of service, payment type or payment media that would be subject to the fare change.
COTA shall then —
- Determine the number and percent of users of each fare media being changed.
- Review fares before the change and after the change.
- Compare the percentage differences for each particular fare media between minority users and overall users.
- Compare the percentage differences for each particular fare media between low-income users and overall users.
Should a proposed fare change result in a disparate impact, COTA will consider modifying the proposed changes to avoid, minimize or mitigate the disparate impact of the change.
Where disparate impacts are identified, COTA shall provide a meaningful opportunity for public comment on any proposed mitigation measures, including any less discriminatory alternatives that may be available.
If COTA chooses not to alter the proposed fare changes despite the disparate impact on minority ridership, or if COTA finds, even after the revisions, that minority riders will continue to bear a disproportionate share of the proposed fare change, COTA may implement the fare change only if:
- COTA has a substantial justification for the proposed change, and
- COTA can show that there are no alternatives that would have a less disparate impact on minority riders but would still accomplish COTA’s legitimate program goals.
If at the conclusion of the analysis, COTA finds that low-income populations will bear a disproportionate burden of the proposed fare change, COTA will consider modifying the proposed changes to avoid, minimize or mitigate the disproportionate burdens of the change, where practicable.
Refund Policy
All sales are final. No refunds will be provided for any passes (paper and/or electronic) or stored value remaining on a COTA account (mobile/Smartcard).
Refund Requests Due to the October 2021 Change in Fare Policy
In conjunction with the implementation of the new fare management system, Masabi, COTA updated its fare structure as follows:
- Elimination of the upcharge on the rush hour routes (applies to all customers)
- Modify transfer to allow for two-hour accessibility (no one-way restriction) (applies to all customers)
- Modification to the definition of “Children” for the purposes of determining discount eligibility (applies to all customers)
- Implementation of fare capping (applies to all Masabi account-based system users)
Elimination of the upcharge on the rush hour route is the only change that would have resulted in customers potentially “overpaying” for their pass. This applies to customers who purchased 31-Day Express Passes prior to Oct. 17, 2021, at which point 31-Day Express Passes stopped being sold. In these instances, Customer Experience Center (CEC) representatives will provide a complimentary 7-Day Pass to all customers who present a 31-Day Express Pass (valued at $25) at the CEC. Since the revenue has already been recognized by COTA, there are no actions that need to be taken by CEC representatives in the POS system.
Questions about refunds?
Contact COTA Customer Care at 614-228-1776.
Privacy and Data Protection
What We Collect and How We Protect It
COTA collects information to provide transit services and improve our website. Most documents we maintain are public records under Ohio law, but we protect your personal information and don’t sell it to third parties.
Information We Collect
We collect two types of information: general website usage data that doesn’t identify you personally, and personal information you choose to provide when requesting services.
Automatically Collected Information
No personally identifiable information is collected from visitors who simply browse this site or who download information from it. While our web servers maintain logs of user activity to help us manage the website, information stored in these logs does not identify you personally. The logs store things such as the domain name and IP address from which you access our site, the type of browser and operating system you used, the date and time you accessed our site, the pages visited and the address of the site that you linked to us from (if you linked to our website from another website). We may use this information to learn how many visitors we have, where they are coming from, which parts of our website are of most interest to visitors and other facts that will help us improve the website and the services we offer.
Personal Information
You may be asked to provide personal information in certain fields on this website. Visitors who request services through this site may be required to furnish additional information in order for us to provide the service requested. We may share this information with other organizations to provide the help you are requesting. We may also use that information to help assess user needs and analyze trends.
The information collected on this site is used for the purpose for which it is requested. Examples of such information is information included in resumes, job applications, Mainstream registration, Reduced Fare registration, vendor/contractor registration, account registration, newsletter registrations and information from the “Contact Us” link for questions or comments on this website. By using our services and accessing our site for any such purpose, you are consenting to the information collection and use of the information for the intended purposes.
How We Protect Your Information
We limit the use of your personal information to our official functions and don’t sell it to third parties. You can opt out of marketing communications, and we use reasonable security measures to protect your data.
Privacy and Security
We will limit our use of your personal information to the performance of our functions and activities and to fulfill our legal obligations. We will not rent or sell any information that personally identifies you (name, address, phone number, etc.) to third parties for marketing or mailing lists. Those who communicate with and supply us with contact information may receive future communications by email, direct mail or telephone.
If you do not wish to receive any correspondence from the Central Ohio Transit Authority, please ask to be removed from our contact lists in one of the following ways:
- Send a letter to: COTA Marketing Department, 33 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio 43215
- Email: marketing@cota.com
- Click: the unsubscribe button at the bottom of all COTA emails
Some information that you submit to us through this website may be protected by encryption technology, whereas other information may not. Unless a particular web page on this site indicates that encryption technology is being used, you should not assume that information you submit through the page will be secure.
COTA has implemented reasonable security measures in order to protect both personal and non-personal information from loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration or destruction. COTA shall not be held liable for any injury caused by the disclosure of your information, whether by security breach, accident, inadvertence or any other act resulting in disclosure.
Public Records
As a public agency, most COTA documents are public records under Ohio law. Information you submit may be subject to public records requests, except where protected by law.
Public Records Request
As a public agency, most COTA documents are public records under Ohio law. You can request access to public records by contacting us directly.
How to Request Public Records
To request public records from COTA, contact us at 614-228-1776 or visit cota.com/contact. Please specify which records you’re seeking and provide as much detail as possible to help us locate the information.
What Records Are Available
Most documents and records maintained by COTA, including electronic data, are public records under Ohio law. Some information may be protected from disclosure by law.
Legal Framework
As a political subdivision of the state of Ohio, COTA is subject to Ohio’s Public Records Law (Ohio Revised Code Section 149.43). Information submitted through this website may be subject to disclosure pursuant to a public records request. Personal and other information provided to this site may also be subject to judicial or other government subpoenas, warrants or orders.
Community Impact and Contact
COTA shares our initiatives online and in public meetings to gather community feedback. Your input helps us improve service and plan for the future.
Mailing Address
COTA Customer Experience Center
33 N. High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Report a Problem
Call Customer Service at 614-228-1776 or report online at go.elerts.com/cota.
Service Change Meetings
To ensure all those within our communities have an opportunity to understand the decisions we make at COTA and provide input, we conduct a number of meetings throughout the year and encourage the public to attend.
Get information about upcoming service changes and participate in public meetings.
Safety and Emergencies
COTA’s highest priority is the safety and security of our passengers and Operators. We are committed to maintaining a safe environment for everyone who uses our transit system.
Remember: If you see something, say something.
If you see something that requires immediate attention from police, fire or ambulance, call 911.