The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) announced today that there will be no increase in fares in 2018.
The COTA Board of Trustees had originally been scheduled to vote on the issue this morning, but it did not make it onto the agenda. Interim President/CEO Emille Williams announced during his report to the board that the agency needed more time to assess the impact of its recent system redesign, and would evaluate fares again later in 2018.
“I’m confident that reviewing the first year of TSR operations will enable our team to better evaluate our fares, consider adjustments and potential impacts, and proceed with thoughtful and prudent fare policy recommendations,” Williams said.
COTA held several public meetings this fall dedicated to the subject of fare increases, presenting a plan that called for raising the standard fare from $2 to either $2.50 or $2.75.
The decision not to raise fares comes as COTA is in the midst of installing new fareboxes that will be able to accommodate payment by cellphone.
Also, scheduled to roll out in June of 2018 is the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District’s program to provide free bus passes for downtown workers.