COTA Board of Trustees Approves No Fares on Election Day; No Fares for Veterans and Active Military on Veterans Day
During its September meeting, the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) Board of Trustees unanimously approved two resolutions to waive all transit fares for all customers on Election Day and waive fares for veterans and active military members on Veterans Day.
To help improve access to polling locations, customers can board any COTA Transit vehicle on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at no cost to them. This includes COTA’s fixed-route system, COTA Mainstream, Mainstream On-Demand and COTA//Plus.
“Polling locations should never be a barrier for our customers to exercise their right to vote,” said COTA Board of Trustees Chair Craig Treneff. “I am proud that our board recognizes that voting access includes the need for mobility and continues to waive fares during general elections. Equity and accessibility are crucial to our election process.”
Voters can check their polling location on the Franklin County Board of Elections Website. Once voters find their polling location, they can plan their trip at COTA.com or the Transit app on their smartphone.
On Friday, Nov. 11, all veterans and active military service members can board any of COTA’s services at no cost to them. For customers to receive this benefit, they can provide military-issued identification to the transit operator when boarding, wear a veterans hat or article of clothing, or they can verbally identify as a veteran or member of the military.
“Each of us owes our nation’s veterans and active military members our deepest gratitude and COTA is proud to celebrate veteran’s service by offering access to our entire system at no cost on Veterans Day again this year,” said COTA President/CEO Joanna M. Pinkerton. “I am thankful to the COTA Board of Trustees for continuing to support this annual tradition. Veterans Day also provides us with an opportunity to educate our community about how COTA honors our heroes every day with our permanent discount program that helps veterans save on every transit trip.”
Veterans are eligible for a 50% discount on all fares every day. Veterans can apply for this benefit at the COTA Customer Experience Center, 33 North High Street during business hours. The benefit can be added to their Transit app account or they can be provided with a COTA Smartcard. Proof of veteran or active military status is required when applying for the benefit.
Anyone can plan their trip at COTA.com or by calling COTA Customer Care at (614) 228-1776. The call center will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day and Veterans Day.
