Team COTA, the Central Ohio Transit Authority transportation service will provide transit with no fares for any Veteran or active military riding COTA all day on Thursday, November 11, 2021, in celebration of Veterans Day.

“At COTA, we honor the incredible service and dedication to our country that our nation’s Veterans have demonstrated. We strive to raise up our Veterans here in Central Ohio and find ways to provide opportunities for Veterans, both at COTA and across the community,” said Joanna M. Pinkerton, COTA President/CEO.

“In our annual tradition, Team COTA looks forward to celebrating Veterans Day by providing transit with no fares for any Veteran or active military riding COTA all day on Thursday, November 11.”

Johanna Pinkerton said, “November is shaping up to be an exciting month for COTA and our customers as we celebrate our military Veterans and introduce a new fare payment initiative that makes transit more equitable and accessible to all in our region.”

“We are proud that more than 10% of our 1,100-employee COTA workforce are Veterans or active military, and our Veterans Employee Resource Group (VERG) is our largest employee resource group at COTA.”

The COTA CEO added that, “they have helped us create COTA’s first Veterans Resource Rides, two beautifully designed coaches which will travel throughout our system beginning the week of Veterans Day, sharing information on all of the services available across a wide array of organizations in Central Ohio which serve Veterans.”

“Additionally, the transit shelters near the Veterans Administration Medical Center on James Road will also be redesigned to connect our community’s heroes to valuable Veteran services.”

“I am also incredibly proud Team COTA will be recognized later this month with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans (HIRE Vets) Gold Medallion Award for our “exemplary efforts in recruiting, employing and retaining our nation’s Veterans.”