COTA Announces September Service Changes Begin Monday; Service to Expand Past 11 P.M. Weeknights, Line 35 Returns
The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) will launch its latest service change on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023. Timetables for each transit line will be available online at COTA.com.
COTA is happy to announce a restoration of some services in September as recruitment of transit operators has begun to alleviate the workforce shortage crisis. These service improvements include expanded weeknight hours, improved weekday frequency and the restoration of Line 35 with express service to New Albany.
COTA makes changes to its service three times a year, on the first Monday of January, May, and September. Changes include schedule adjustments to improve travel times, modified service, as well as construction-related route changes. Important note: because Sept. 4 is Labor Day, all transit services will operate on the new holiday/Sunday schedules, with weekday schedules beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
Expanded Late Night Service
COTA will extend its evening transit service another hour beginning Tuesday, Sept. 5. This means Lines 1-11, 102 and CMAX will have their final weeknight lineup and depart downtown at 11 p.m. All Crosstown lines (21-35) will also have expanded service past 11 p.m. on weeknights.
Frequency Improvements
Weekday service frequency on Lines 1, 2, 10 and CMAX will increase from 30 minutes to 15 minutes before 7 a.m. Weekday service frequency on Lines 4, 31 and 102 will increase to 30 minutes. Weekly service frequency on Line 8 will increase to 15 minutes on the core line and 30 minutes on the branches.
Line 35 Restored
COTA’s Line 35 (Dublin-Granville), which has been suspended since the pandemic, will be restored, operating every hour from Boardwalk Street and Shapter Avenue to Easton Transit Center, with express nonstop service to New Albany Park and Ride. This will allow customers to connect to New Albany’s SmartRide service, a shuttle serving commuters. New Albany is expanding SmartRide to connect with COTA each hour, seven days a week.
Zoo Bus Extended
Zoo Bus will now be extended past Labor Day and begin weekend-only service through Sunday, Oct. 29. Zoo Bus is a popular transit service at COTA and an easy way to travel between downtown Columbus and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and Zoombezi Bay. COTA will deliver five trips a day on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Additional Improvements
Working with The Ohio State University, COTA will realign Lines 8, 22 and 31 to travel along 11th Avenue through campus to better connect OSU students who ride COTA with the Campus Area Bus System. Ohio State students have access to COTA through their BuckIDs.
In response to customer feedback, COTA will also add an additional morning trip to Line 51 Express service from Reynoldsburg to Downtown Columbus, with a new early trip leaving Reynoldsburg Park and Ride at 6:30 a.m. each weekday.
Short North Rideshare Zones
Due to COTA’s late night service expanding, the Short North Rideshare Drop off and Pick Up Zones will change to 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. These zones are located at COTA transit stops and are used by rideshare customers after COTA’s service ends at night. Signage in these zones will be changed to reflect the new hours.
