COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) is set to extend its bus service hours on most routes past midnight.
The changes are scheduled to begin on Monday, with COTA aiming to eventually offer a 24-hour bus service in the coming years.
Mark Ballenger, a regular rider, expressed mixed feelings about the service extension.
“I think it’s a useful service,” he said. However, Ballenger also voiced concerns about passenger safety, sharing that he has experienced incidents during the day on the bus that made him uneasy. “I’ve had some incidents over the years where I was concerned with my safety,” he said.
As COTA announces the expanded hours, COTA President Monica Téllez-Fowler assured that city funding will bolster security measures alongside the service expansion.
“We’ve taken everything into account. Expansion of service doesn’t mean just buses; it means additional supervisors, transit street supervisors, and strategic response specialists,” she said. “Those groups are out there to ultimately make our facilities feel safer and just more secure.”
Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin emphasized the importance of accessibility for all residents.
“With this expansion, we are delivering on what was promised because of our voters, so we’re excited to meet folks where they are, and that means in the downtown, in the Short North, and all throughout the city of Columbus,” he said.
