The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) launched a new COTA//Plus service, bringing on-demand microtransit to Westerville.

COTA//Plus is an app-based rideshare that operates either as a point-to-point service or as a connection to or from a COTA transit line. Customers in Westerville can use COTA//Plus to travel in the 16-square-mile defined zone or use the service to connect to COTA Lines 102 and CMAX.

COTA//Plus provides first-last mile connections for customers, connecting them to job centers, hospitals, educational institutions, and critical shopping areas.

Customers can book trips on their smartphone through the COTA//Plus app. If they download the app, they must register as a user. After booking a trip, a COTA//Plus vehicle will arrive within 15 minutes to take them to their destination. The trip must begin and end within the defined zone in Westerville.

“As the region’s mobility solutions provider, COTA works every day to develop mobility options that meet the needs of our communities and connect customers to economic and social prosperity,” said COTA President/CEO Joanna M. Pinkerton. “We are proud to expand COTA//Plus to Westerville, to help the community expand mobility options and provide freedom and flexibility for residents of all ages to access jobs, education, health care, food, shopping, recreation and social events in a safe and secure way.”

COTA//Plus Westerville is funded through partnerships that include the City of Westerville, Otterbein University, and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission.