The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) experienced a ridership increase of 3% in 2018 over 2017. It is the highest increase at COTA in three years.
COTA’s total ridership in 2018 was 18,914,789, compared to 18,401,546 in 2017. The increase in ridership occurred despite 2018 being the wettest year on record for Columbus, and is attributed to a full-year of service within the new transit system redesign, the implementation of the first bus rapid transit (BRT) line CMAX, and the success of C-pass, a new employer-paid transit program.
