Transdev announced it is launching a new partnership with the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA).

Transdev is now overseeing COTA’s Mainstream Paratransit and Mainstream On-Demand services, which includes all aspects of service operation (scheduling and dispatching), the reservation services, the operation, and maintenance of their 73 vehicles and the hiring and training of the corresponding personnel.

“We’re proud to add this contract to our portfolio,” said Bill Spraul, Transdev’s regional vice president for its south-central region. “COTA is well known, both in the Midwest and nationally, for being a very innovative and forward-thinking system — just one more reason why this partnership is such a great fit.”

COTA Mainstream offers origin-to-destination rides for people whose functional limitations prevent them from riding COTA’s fixed route buses.

Eligible riders can choose from two Mainstream options:

• Mainstream service where passengers can reserve their shared-ride trip through the COTA reservations department phone line, email or fax line.

• Mainstream on-demand service where passengers contact the call center to reserve private, accessible, same-day, non-stop, door-to-door service.

“We look forward to sharing our best practices, evaluating new technology options and leveraging our safety expertise to ensure our new passengers enjoy a positive customer experience every time they use our service,” continued Spraul. “For us, it’s always about providing safe, consistent and reliable service to our passengers.”

Related: Transdev Extends Partnership with Lextran