COTA sees ridership increase

An increasing number of people in the Columbus, OH area are using mass transit, according to the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA). As of early August, ridership is up 8.6 percent from a year ago and 10.3 percent from 2009. Total weekly ridership is over 352,000. COTA has provided more than 18 million rides this year, compared to 17 million rides in 2010.

In addition to COTA’s overall ridership, Ohio State University student ridership has seen steady increases. OSU weekday ridership was over 4,300, a 17.8 percent increase over the prior year.

“People are continuing to try public transit,” said Bill Lhota, COTA president/CEO. “We are especially pleased that once they realize using COTA results in significant cost savings when compared to driving, they remain transit customers.”