Traveling from point A to point B without getting behind a wheel isn’t just convenient, it’s becoming more and more common. Ride-share services such as Uber and Lyft connect riders with drivers through the phone in your pocket.
Then there’s COTA//Plus.
Photo courtesy of the city of Grove City
For more than two years, the Central Ohio Transit Authority has provided residents and visitors with an on-demand mobility service. COTA//Plus can take commuters anywhere within 22 square miles of Grove City. Travelers can use the app to connect to a COTA//Plus bus in under 15 minutes. Since its start, the service has grown steadily in popularity, COTA and city officials say.
The service was first implemented to meet the needs of the workforce in the area, such as the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, Walmart Distribution Center and the recently built Mount Carmel Grove City Hospital. COTA//Plus rides start at $3 with discount rates for day passes and older adults.
“(Grove City) came to us and we had really good collaboration and partnered with them,” says Devayani Puranik, mobility development director for COTA. “The city council, their leadership, was very supportive. Our leadership was very supportive to really experiment with this on-demand system because it is a new system – it’s public transit offering a technology-based solution – which is easier (because) we all have smartphones in our hands and it’s easier now people can schedule reliable, accessible service.”
For Grove City, the on-demand service provides an answer to timely issues, says Mayor Ike Stage. That includes the demand of a growing workforce but also the decreased accessibility of the city’s bus service for older adults during the pandemic.
“COTA has helped us along with a very critical issue that is getting workers from their homes to the bus system but (also) being able to do the last mile to the place of employment,” Stage says. “I would label it a godsend.”
The on-demand option for transportation helps fill in the gaps where fixed routes aren’t available as service moves outside the city and into suburban areas. Following Grove City’s lead, areas including Westerville, northeast Columbus and the South Side have added service zones for COTA//Plus.
“The population is growing out instead of up in central Ohio,” says Jason Yanni, senior director of product management and innovation for COTA. “So how do we support that population that’s growing outward from those other counties that are connected into our jurisdictions to make sure that they have a pleasant experience as well?”
The solution for COTA is a hybrid system of fixed routes and on-demand service, blanketing the area in transportation options and connections. Vaughn Francis, superintendent of transportation for COTA, says that a fixed route service doesn’t make sense to run in all areas. On-demand can provide access to less-frequented routes and eliminate the need for travelers to make their way to and from bus stations as part of a trip.
“With our transit system redesign, along with implementing COTA//Plus, we’re able to fill in those gaps in public transportation,” Francis says. “I call it a hybrid of public transportation.”
COTA//Plus operates 5:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday in Grove City. Using the COTA//Plus mobile app, people can request service and a COTA driver will arrive to the location within 15 minutes and take the traveler to any location requested within the service zone. Connections to and from bus stops do not require a fare.
Rides cost $3 per trip, $2 for older adults. A single-day pass can be purchased for $6 and a five-day pass for $20. COTA//Plus is currently offering no-cost rides to schools in the Grove City service area for students over age 10.
The zone of service includes the Village of Urbancrest, Mount Carmel, Grove City, Grove City Town Center, South-Western Career Academy, Evans Center and SouthPark Industrial Park.
“(The service) operates on what we call a corner-to-corner service, so the goal is to not have you walk more than 500 feet,” Francis says. “That’s just for efficiency and routing purposes, but if you are a senior or someone that needs mobility assistance, there’s a timer in the app that once you flip that timer it converts it to door-to-door service so that way we’re not asking someone with mobility issues to walk close to 500 feet to get to the next stop.”
It’s not just about convenience, but independence, too. COTA//Plus has enabled many older adults to have an accessible option for running errands or just to get out of the house, Francis says.
One of the older adults using the service is Jenny Fetty, who takes COTA//Plus to Evans Senior Center and the grocery store. She’s found the service not only cheaper but easier and more accommodating than other options.
“It’s very convenient and the people are really nice and are really helpful about helping me get on and off because I am in an electric power chair and it’s a little larger than most, so it’s a little harder to get in and out,” Fetty says. “They help me and they tell me if I’m going off line or whatever, so they’re very nice and helpful.”
In addition to the app, riders can call 614-308-4400 to request a ride if they do not have access to the app through a smartphone or other device.
“I call them just before I leave because it doesn’t take them usually very long,” Fetty says. “They’re busier on some days, but they’re really great about coming and getting you.”
Claire Miller is the assistant editor. Feedback welcome at cmiller@cityscenemediagroup.com.
