COTA’s new free downtown circulator bus launched today, traveling in a loop between Sycamore Street in the Brewery District and Third Avenue in the Short North. Signs reading “CBUS” mark the stops for the new route, which was first announced by COTA in February.
The CBUS will run every 10 minutes from 7am to 7pm on weekdays, stretching to 15 minutes intervals from 7pm to 9pm. The new buses, which are smaller than normal COTA buses and feature distinctive branding, will run until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and from 10:30am to 6:30pm on Sundays (also every 15 minutes).
Cleve Ricksecker, who serves on COTA’s board of directors and is the Executive Director of the Discovery and Capital Crossroads Special Improvement Districts, likes the potential of the new line to increase ridership while also providing a new option for getting downtown;
“The new circulator will serve a number of audiences, including commuters, which is really important because we are running out of space to accommodate cars,” he said. “I’m hoping the CBUS is the beginning of more widespread use of all COTA service; we need people to take transit to be able fill downtown office towers and create more vibrancy.”
COTA provided Short North residents and visitors with a sneak peak at Saturday’s Gallery Hop – one of the new buses was on display in front of Victorian Gate and staff were available to answer questions about the service.
Betsy Pandora, Executive Director of the Short North Alliance, said that she was “delighted to share in COTA’s launch of the CBUS,” adding that, “we believe the CBUS will contribute to further building the vitality of the Short North Arts District and provide us with yet another exciting and needed alternative transit option.”
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