COTA ANNOUNCES NO FARES MONDAY DUE TO LEVEL 2 SNOW EMERGENCY; CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CENTER CLOSED
Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) suspended fares system-wide for Monday, Jan. 6, due to the Level 2 snow emergency that has been declared in Franklin County.
COTA suspends fares on all transit vehicles on all routes in the event the Franklin County Sheriff declares a Level 2 or Level 3 snow emergency. COTA offers this community service to encourage those who must travel to take public transit instead of their personal vehicles; this will reduce traffic accidents in difficult driving conditions and assist the efforts of countywide snow removal and salting.
The COTA Customer Experience Center in downtown Columbus is also closed for the day, but the Customer Care Call Center is available during its regular hours of operation.
The no-fare policy will be in effect for the remainder of the day once a Level 2 or Level 3 snow emergency is declared. The policy includes all transit vehicles, including fixed-route (buses), Mainstream, and COTA//Plus.
If customers do need to travel, COTA is urging them to take the following precautions:
- Dress warmly and wear brightly colored clothing to be spotted at transit stops.
- Call COTA’s Customer Care Center at (614) 228-1776 to find out when the next bus is scheduled to arrive at your stop. Also, use the “Text for Next Bus” option found on each transit stop sign.
- Allow for extra time to get to your destination. Try to avoid travel that requires connections between multiple lines. That could result in longer wait times.
- Be careful and watch your step. Watch for icy sidewalks and streets. NEVER run toward a bus at a transit stop.
- While transit service will continue today, expect delays as buses will travel slower in the snow.
Regularly check COTA social media or the Transit App to check out the latest delays.
