At a time when tax-supported agencies are considering deep cuts at the state and federal level, the Central OhioTransit Authority is making more plans to expand. With its sales tax revenue stable courtesy of Franklin County voters, COTA says it will add buses and hire more drivers in 2011. WOSU's Tom Borgerding reports.
North side Columbus residents Dominique Williams and Inez Towns are early morning arrivals at the Linden Transit Center at Cleveland and 11th Avenues. Williams is dropping her children at the Center's day care. Both women ride the bus regularly. But, neither Williams nor Towns is aware of COTA's 2011 expansion plans. Towns welcomes the news.
"I mean there are people who work third shift, COTA doesn't run third shift. It will be helpful to a lot of people, a lot of people." Says Towns.
COTA is pinning its expansion on projected increases in ridership. This year it expects 17,000,000 fares. Virginia Miller at the American Public Transportation Association says its unusual for a U-S mass transit agency to expand at a time when operating budgets are stagnant or declining.
"Seven out of ten public transit systems have projected budget shortfalls."
By contrast, COTA has operated in the black for the past five years after it gained concessionary contracts from its drivers and sliced about a quarter of its service in 2005. COTA chief, Bill Lhota says the authority's balanced books also come courtesy of Franklin County voters.
"COTA is an anomaly because the voters in 2006 approved addtional funding for COTA which we started collecting in 2008." Says Lhota.
This year, the COTA board approved a $96,000,000 operating budget. And, 80% of that revenue comes from the voter-approved sales tax. Bus fares help make up the rest. It costs about $107 per hour to operate a COTA bus. Lhota says this year's expansion plans call for more buses on the most popular routes along High Street, Broad Street and Cleveland Avenue. Lhota says right now, some customers are left at bus stops during peak times.
"And, regrettably, we're having to pass up customers because we can't get them on the coaches."
COTA also recently added new park and ride lots at Rte 33 and Gender road on the southeast side and on Rome-Hilliard road on the city's far west side. The planned expansion this year will come without an increase in bus fares. That's welcome news to Dominique Williams.
"Fares, I believe they should be cheaper for the kids because I'm a mother of four and its a lot to pay for four kids." Says Williams.
For Inez Towns, when she crunches the numbers in her personal budget and adds the cost of gasoline and parking the bus helps her stay within her budget.
"Its cheaper than parking downtown, I work downtown, so its a lot cheaper."
Both Bill Lhota at COTA and Virginia Miller at the American Public Transportation Association in Washington agree that gas prices are a wild card for public transit systems in 2011. Miller says three dollar per gallon of gas is a price point where commuters begin to park their cars and get on the bus. Lhota says in Central Ohio he's closely monitoring pump prices as COTA expands its service.
"I'm anticipating as gas prices continue to go up that we will see a spike in our ridership and hopefully we're in a condition to accomodate those riders."
Lhota says 36 new drivers will be hired this year.
At Cleveland and 11th Tom Borgerding WOSU News