The year 2020 brought unprecedented challenges that both divided and united people amid a global pandemic, heightened awareness surrounding racial disparities and the effects of climate change.
Despite these challenges, COTA’s mission to move every life forward remained steadfast. In fact, they provided opportunities for COTA to reimagine mobility solutions throughout the Central Ohio area. Based on findings from COTA’s 2020 Annual Report, here is a snapshot of five key areas where COTA is going the extra mile.
Sustainability
COTA advances sustainability through green initiatives that conserve resources, improve customer satisfaction and protect its employees:
• 3.2 million gallons of water saved per year
• 75.9 tons of scrap metal recycled
By 2025, all of COTA’s diesel fleet will be converted to compressed natural gas, and in 2021 the first electric vehicles will be tested on Central Ohio roads.
Technology
From a new fare management system to on-demand mobility solutions and artificial intelligence technology, COTA is poised for future growth as it paves the way for a more equitable and prosperous community. In 2020, COTA implemented a traffic management and predictive analytics AI system to improve traffic safety and reduce travel time through a cloud-based platform. COTA also expanded its on-demand service, COTA//Plus.
Diversity & Inclusion
COTA is committed to racial and social equity and inclusion for its employees and community partners, and it was recently named to Parity.org’s top 35 list of Best Companies for Women to Advance. COTA supports a number of employee affinity groups and fosters an inclusive marketplace working through the federal DOT Disadvantaged Business Program. COTA also raised its minimum wage for new and existing employees to $15 per hour.
Community
COTA has strong ties with the community and is involved in a number of initiatives, including:
• Travel Training, a personalized program to teach anyone who wants to learn to navigate and master public transit.
• COTA Voice, an online customer advisory panel of more than 1,500 customers to continually enhance the customer experience.
• Bringing science education to underserved communities with COSI by providing a free hotspot using a Wi-Fi-enabled transit vehicle.
• Distributing meals to food pantries and nonprofits through a partnership with Bob Evans Restaurants.
Industry Accolades
COTA was recognized as APTA’s 2020 Outstanding Midsize Public Transit System for progressive practices, including:
• On-demand services such as COTA//Plus and Mainstream On-Demand
• A five-year strategic plan centered on equity, diversity and inclusion
• Conversion to low- and no-emission transit vehicles
• Collaborative programs to improve mobility and support equitable economic development
• Highest ridership in 31 years in 2019
Employing more than 1,100 people, COTA serves a region of more than 1.2 million people and in 2019 provided more than 19 million passenger trips on 41 fixed-transit routes. To find out more about how COTA is changing lives and the future of public transit, see COTA’s 2020 Annual Report.
