The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) Board of Trustees has offered central Ohioans seeking shelter during extreme weather events access to transit service at no cost so that they may get to heating or cooling centers. COTA will now waive fares when the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Wilmington issues a heat advisory or warning or a cold advisory or warning.

“The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the waiver of fares on all COTA routes during periods of unsafe temperatures,” according to a press statement signed by Director, Public & Media Relations Jeff Pullin.

“COTA will now waive fares when the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Wilmington issues a heat advisory or warning or a cold advisory or warning. Fares will be waived for the remainder of each day in which the heat or cold advisory or warning is declared. This applies to COTA’s fixed-route bus service, Mainstream services, and COTA/Plus.”

“Our mission is to serve all Central Ohio residents and that includes those who are seeking shelter during dangerous conditions,” said COTA President/CEO Monica Tellez- Fowler.

“Our communities offer places of safety for residents on a winter day when it is dangerously cold or a summer day that is dangerously hot. We do not want anyone to risk their health because they might not have the bus fare to reach shelter. We are grateful to the COTA Board of Trustees for taking this important step to enhance our service to our region.”

The new policy provides customers with no-cost transportation to established cooling and warming centers, libraries, recreation centers, and other places of shelter when it is too hot or cold to be safely outdoors.

COTA already offers no-fare transit during Level 2 and Level 3 snow emergencies. On average, the National Weather Service issues extreme temperature advisories three times per year.

“COTA’s partners in the nonprofit community and our locally elected officials have asked COTA to consider eliminating fares on all days when the temperatures pose a risk to human health,” COTA Board of Trustees Chair Marlon Moore said.

“We thank Team COTA for creating this policy that helps us continue our commitment to serving our customers with compassion and respect. Today the Board of Trustees is happy to unanimously approve this policy that better protects our riders and our community.”

COTA works with local non-profit organizations to share this new policy with clients and customers who use transit to connect with their services.

“At the Human Service Chamber, we serve 220+ nonprofits, many of whom serve people who may not have a place to call home every night,” said Michael Corey, Executive Director of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County.

“So, every summer and every winter, we work hard with our members and partners across the community to ensure everyone knows where to go when the weather is dangerously hot or dangerously cold. A consistent challenge is always getting to and from those places. COTA is trying to eliminate that barrier will save lives. We are deeply appreciative of this new policy, and how COTA continues centering the people of this community.”

The purpose of this new policy is to help COTA customers get to a safe location. All COTA codes of conduct and policies, including the requirement to exit all buses at the end of each transit line, will remain in effect. Operators and transit supervisors are equipped with the locations of each warming or cooling center. Customers can also call COTA Customer Care on 614-228-1776 to help find directions to a center near them.

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