RSS
Twitter
Facebook
YouTubePress Release wrote
COTA Ridership Continues to Grow Even as Gas Prices Retreat
The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) experienced a 10 percent increase in ridership on its fixed-route bus service for the week ending November 9, 2008, compared with the same period in 2007. Total weekly ridership was 338,961, while average weekday ridership was 61,605. Average weekday ridership on COTA has been at or above the prior year for 48 of the past 53 weeks. 23 of the last 32 weeks have seen double digit percentage increases in ridership.
COTA�s year-to-date ridership is 13.8 million passenger trips, an increase of 1.3 million, or 10.3 percent.
COTA officials have attributed much of the increase in ridership to higher gasoline prices in 2008. However, as gas prices retreat, people appear to be staying with transit.
�We believe that our ongoing service expansion program, which is adding about 60,000 service hours annually, the acquisition of new coaches for the expansion of our bus fleet, and our commitment to customer service are keeping our customers aboard,� said Bill Lhota, COTA President/CEO.
The transit authority has also experienced significant increases in monthly pass sales. In October, sales of Local monthly passes increased by 10.7 percent and Express pass sales were up an unprecedented 44 percent.
�When customers purchase monthly passes, they are making a longer term commitment to taking transit,� Lhota said. �Even with lower prices at the pump, customers realize the savings is still substantial when compared to fuel, parking and other costs associated with driving.�
 |
 |
| View more Spirit of Columbus photos here. |
 |
Comments
- emilyjanel2010: So I'm assuming 21+?
- Walker: Can't wait to check out the new space. Charles from our office went over th
- TheRocket: So happy to see Guillermo and family reopening. They are such great people
- carolmerry: Adaptive reuse instead of demolition. In addition to "neighborhood revitali
- Stepen: "The Hummus didn’t really have a flavor, so that one was abandoned quickl
Top Stories
- Bexley Mayor Excited about New Two-Story Giant Eagle on Main Street20
- New 504-Unit Apartment Project Coming to Westerville Near Polaris18
- The Flapper Room and The Blackberry Patch Opening Downtown in 201417
- The List: 10 More New Apartment Developments Around Columbus16
- The Sycamore Relaunching as New German Village Restaurant13
- Plans Advancing for City Campus, New Building on Front Street11
- Travel: Washington DC via Amtrak10
- Restaurant Review: Portia's Cafe10
- School Issues: Surveys10
- At Home: Falling in love with a neighborhood8
COTA Ridership Grows Even as Gas Prices Retreat
By: Walker
Related Posts:
Good to see that with lower gas prices we haven’t become too short sighted. Hopefully their numbers continue to rise and hopefully we see more improvements.
We’re meeting up next week to discuss Bike to Work Week ’09 and I’ve thrown out the idea of laying the ground work (petitions, surveys, whatever) to possible get this rolling for B2WW ’10.
This is great news. Maybe it will help with the streetcars, too. As I understood it from some public transportation and street car meetings, growth of the bus system is partly limited by the supply of the buses themselves. Put in the streetcars, deploy the busses to routes leading to the streetcars. –I walk with less pollution and less noise on High Street :)
That’s one thing that was a bit frustrating when the streetcars where being debated-lack of public foresight into something like this (replacing buses along the High Street lines with streetcars and moving buses where they are needed) and lack of vision from COTA on this.
We’re meeting up next week to discuss Bike to Work Week ’09 and I’ve thrown out the idea of laying the ground work (petitions, surveys, whatever) to possible get this rolling for B2WW ’10.
Interesting link Andrew. Do you think there is enough bike demand on any particular route to make something like this feasible? I’m sure it could work well for bike to work day or bike to work week, but would it work year-round to make it a worthwhile investment for COTA?
We’re meeting up next week to discuss Bike to Work Week ’09 and I’ve thrown out the idea of laying the ground work (petitions, surveys, whatever) to possible get this rolling for B2WW ’10.
Interesting link Andrew. Do you think there is enough bike demand on any particular route to make something like this feasible? I’m sure it could work well for bike to work day or bike to work week, but would it work year-round to make it a worthwhile investment for COTA?
I see it more as a seasonal thing. There have been some grumbling here about racks being full, which means you miss the bus. A few cyclists I know of have been lucky to get a friendly driver when they are coming home at night who will allow them to bring the bike on if the racks were full.
I would like to see us do the research this year. They kept track at this past B2WW of where people where commuting from and too. Maybe do some surveys to see if it’s a service that would be used, a petition drive or something. I think the atmosphere is friendly enough for it. If we get bendy buses, that frees up some rolling stock. A friendly federal administration and the possibility of grants as well.
A very basic service would work best. Since the bike offers a great deal of mobility, it’s really just a way to bridge the gap. I’m thinking 1 N-S line running from the park and rides up High and another on Broad going E-W. Stops every mile or so, or based on the central point of each given neighborhood it passes through. So a Stop at Broad and High, 3rd in the Short North, 15th in UD and by the Giant Eagle in Clintonville.
I know I get a lot of comments when I have worked the booths at different events that are something like, “I have a bike and would love to get out more, but it’s just not doable.” A service like this Running March-October that would allow someone in Powell to board a bus and ride to Clintonville then bike to Downtown or Upper Arlington or Campus would be great. I see a lot of potential too with the crowd who probably could bike to work, but feel that they don’t have the time or ability in the mornings. Instead of dealing with sweat and chain grease, they could pop the bike on the bus, lock it up when they get to work and then throw the bike gear on for a leisurely ride home.
I think opne reason transit ridership continues to grow…even while gasoline prices fall back… is that the price of everything else has not fallen back. That, coupled with overall uneasiness about the economy is, I believe, keeping the “recently converted” riding the bus.
This is also causing a problem for COTA, as this ridership growth has caused an increase in crowded buses and thus) the demand for more buses. Too bad the grant failed for the articulated buses, because they would have gone a long way to address this issue….not to mention adding some visual “bling” to the COTA bus roster.
Whoo-hoo! A 10% increase is awesome! And though I bet the number is very small, I don’t think the number includes OSU students, thus making the total rides for the year higher than this. We ride “free” with our BuckID, and all you have to do is show your ID. They don’t account for you. (I say “free” because we definitely pay for it once a quarter.)
I’m not really sure of this, but I can’t tell how they would account for students if they’re not actually paying every time they ride.
I’m not really sure of this, but I can’t tell how they would account for students if they’re not actually paying every time they ride.
I’m pretty sure they account. The drive clicks off for bicyclists and students and I think any other special thing. That’s the chirping you hear as you walk back to a seat.
Agreed on those points. I also think that most of the general public is skeptical that the low gas prices will last, so they’re no flocking back to their cars so quickly. There could also be some newer riders who have tried out the bus system for the first time due to monetary issues and who are deciding to stick with it because they’ve found out that it’s not as bad as everyone says it is. ;)
I’m not really sure of this, but I can’t tell how they would account for students if they’re not actually paying every time they ride.
I’m pretty sure they account. The drive clicks off for bicyclists and students and I think any other special thing. That’s the chirping you hear as you walk back to a seat.
There’s a button they press on the farebox to account for students. I still have a very old spreadsheet from my time on the OSU-COTA Partnership Advisory Committee that calculates the cost per ride to COTA for OSU students.
I wonder how long it will be before people return to their cars because of the terrible service?
Today I attempted to take the #45 express bus from the North Terminal at 4:35. The bus never showed up. On a bitterly cold day that is simply unacceptable. I’ve even had a driver on the #45 asking costumers where to go because she didn’t know the route to the east side.
I also often catch the #89 crosstown bus at Dundee and Hamilton. The bus is regularly 5-10 minutes early. It then sits at Hamilton and Livingston until it catches up to it’s “schedule”.
:evil:
When you take the major routes I find there really aren’t that many issues. COTA needs to clean up the routes, streamline the service and make it far more efficient.
Agreed on those points. I also think that most of the general public is skeptical that the low gas prices will last, so they’re no flocking back to their cars so quickly. There could also be some newer riders who have tried out the bus system for the first time due to monetary issues and who are deciding to stick with it because they’ve found out that it’s not as bad as everyone says it is. ;)
I also think that people who started riding during high gas prices have realized that riding the bus can be enjoyable. With Blackberrys, iPhones, iPods, and even (gasp!) books, it’s a great way to destress before and after your workday.
My wife takes the streetcar to work, and I ride the bus. Every morning we sync our iPods to our favorite podcasts and TV shows, then get door to door service. You really can’t beat it.
Yeah, there are specific stops for buses to wait at if they are running early. It sounds like that route might could use a reevaluation if it’s a persistent issue.
I’ve been riding the bus pretty regularly for the past six months, and while I’ve had my fair share of buses not running on time, the majority of them are pretty close. And I’ve learned pretty quickly that many people seem to hold the bus to a much higher standard than they do their car. If you think about how often you drive somewhere and arrive a few minutes early or late because of traffic, signals, misjudgment of time, or any other number of driving factors it doesn’t seem to bother people as much even if it happens much more often.
I’ve learned pretty quickly that many people seem to hold the bus to a much higher standard than they do their car. If you think about how often you drive somewhere and arrive a few minutes early or late because of traffic, signals, misjudgment of time, or any other number of driving factors it doesn’t seem to bother people as much even if it happens much more often.
I agree that buses are held to a higher standard. In a sense, they should be more reliable, more affordable, more timely, etc compared to cars. A higher standard should be expected from mass transportation.
Anyway, I glad to hear that ridership is still improving for COTA despite lower gas prices. Columbus/central Ohio may have finally turned the corner (at least I hope so).
Why?
I agree that buses are held to a higher standard. In a sense, they should be more reliable, more affordable, more timely, etc compared to cars. A higher standard should be expected from mass transportation.
Anyway, I glad to hear that ridership is still improving for COTA despite lower gas prices. Columbus/central Ohio may have finally turned the corner (at least I hope so).
Yes, mass transit should be held to a higher standard, but one could not guess that with the way we fund mass transit in this country, let alone Ohio. Roadways receive a lion’s share of transportation dollars AND individuals need to go into debt just to utilize them by purchasing well marketed autos.
I would say that we are not holding our transportation system fully accountable. In the past, we “solved” traffic congestion by giving more money for road “improvements” where too many users over utilized a public good. I think the day is coming where this issue will be fixed by recognizing that autos can’t and shouldn’t do everything in our lives.
Why?
I have no explanation for my comment except that there has to be a reason to use mass transit.
To Bremkat’s point, how can you improve the standard of mass transit when the bulk of transportation dollars goes to auto and their roads?
Elect officials who will change the funding scenario. ;)
To Bremkat’s point, how can you improve the standard of mass transit when the bulk of transportation dollars goes to auto and their roads?
We’re already starting to see improvements in policy from the federal and state levels of government with the National Study Commission http://www.transportationfortomorrow.org/ and the state’s 21st Century Priorities Task Force http://www.dot.state.oh.us/groups/tft
Then it is up to our elected officials and society to determine how to pay for it because the status quo system will not provide enough funding to maintain what we have now.