As an innovative transit agency, COTA researches and embraces diverse ideas and mobility technologies that allow it to advance its services and deliver new benefits to the community.
COTA
2 min to read
As an innovative transit agency, COTA researches and embraces diverse ideas and mobility technologies that allow it to advance its services and deliver new benefits to the community.
COTA
The COTA Board of Trustees passed a resolution to adopt the “Moving Every Life Forward” COTA Strategic Plan 2019-2024, which provides the path COTA will take to enhance its services for all residents in central Ohio over the next five years and beyond.
The plan was a result of collaborative research, interviews, and discussions with hundreds of individuals, community organizations, peer transit agencies, and COTA Board members and employees, delivering a diverse and innovative set of ideas to serve as the basis for transforming and advancing mobility in the region.
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As an innovative transit agency, COTA researches and embraces diverse ideas and mobility technologies that allow it to advance its services and deliver new benefits to the community.
“COTA is an integral part of the social and economic well-being of the Central Ohio region, and with this plan, developed jointly with our employees’ involvement and input from community leaders, COTA is poised to focus our energy and priorities on providing services to move people to prosperity as our community grows and grapples with the implications for the need of additional mobility options,” said Joanna M. Pinkerton, COTA president and CEO.
At the center of COTA’s Strategic Plan 2019-2024 is a commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, which is of core importance to the organization. By embracing diverse and inclusive ideas, COTA will drive creativity, innovation and engagement across the organization, developing a stronger and more effective workforce and more comprehensive services to meet the needs of COTA’s customers.
In addition to a new vision of Moving Every Life Forward in Central Ohio, the plan also includes four Guiding Principles that link directly to that equity, diversity, and inclusion, and drive the initiatives that will make the plan a reality:
Improve the Customer Experience: to serve current and future customers and deliver an experience that is easy to use, reliable and convenient.
Provide Mobility Options: to enhance service delivery to customers through partnerships with innovative organizations.
Prioritize the Use of Data and Analytics: to make better decisions, enhance services, and enhance safety.
Achieve Organizational Excellence: to make COTA employees focused, collaborative, and innovative.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.
