List of COTA routes and services

Interactive map of COTA bus routes
Note: not all frequent lines remain frequent throughout their entire routes; see the official map for details.

The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) operates 41 fixed-route bus services throughout the Columbus metropolitan area in Central Ohio. The agency operates its standard and frequent bus services seven days per week, and rush hour service Monday to Friday.^[1] All buses and routes are wheelchair and mobility device-accessible, and include front-mounted bike racks.^[2]

The authority also operates multiple transit services, including the microtransit service COTA//PLUS and the on-demand COTA Mainstream service.

Routes 1 through 12 traverse Downtown Columbus.^[3] These routes are classified as local lines.^[4]

No. and designation		Frequency	Destinations				Area	Ref.
1	Kenny/Livingston	Frequent	NB/WB	To Pickforde Dr & Bethel Rd	SB/EB	To Reynoldsburg Park & Ride	Map: Route 1 Kenny/Livingston	[5]
2	E Main/N High	Frequent	NB/WB	To N High St & Fenway Rd	SB/EB	To Hanson St & E Main St	Map: Route 2 E Main/N High	[6][7]
3	Northwest/Harrisburg	Standard	NB	To Tremont Rd & Langham Rd	SB	To Parkway Centre	Map: Route 3 Northwest/Harrisburg	[8]
4	Indianola/Lockbourne	Standard	NB	To Boardwalk St & Shapter Ave	SB	To Thimbleberry Rd & Alum Creek Dr	Map: Route 4 Indianola/Lockbourne	[9]
5	W 5th Ave/Refugee	Frequent	NB/WB	To Renner Rd Park & Ride / Lincoln Village	SB/EB	To Gender Road Towne Centre	Map: Route 5 W 5th Ave/Refugee	[10]
6	Sullivant	Standard	NB/EB	To Spring Street Terminal	SB/WB	To Lincoln Village	Map: Route 6 Sullivant	[11]
7	Mt Vernon	Frequent	NB/EB	To Int'l Gateway & Sawyer Rd / Easton Transit Center	SB/WB	To E Mound St & S 4th St	Map: Route 7 Mt Vernon	[12]
8	Karl/S High/Parsons	Frequent	NB	To Boardwalk St & Shapter Ave	SB	To Great Southern Park & Ride	Map: Route 8 Karl/S High/Parsons	[13]
9	W Mound/Brentnell	Standard	NB/EB	To Easton Transit Center	SB/WB	To Westwoods Park & Ride	Map: Route 9 W Mound/Brentnell	[14][7]
10	E Broad/W Broad	Frequent	WB	To Westwoods Park & Ride	EB	To Limited Brands	Map: Route 10 E/W Broad	[15]
11	Bryden/Maize	Standard	NB/WB	To N High St & Fenway Rd	SB/EB	To Frebis Ave & Alum Creek Dr	Map: Route 11 Bryden/Maize	[16]
12	McKinley/Fields	Standard	WB	To McKinley Ave Garage	EB	To Fields Ave Garage	Map: Route 12 McKinley/Fields	[17]

Routes 21 through 25 are laid out to connect destinations north and south.^[3] These routes are classified as crosstown lines.^[4]

No. and designation		Frequency	Destinations				Area	Ref.
21	Hilliard Rome	Standard	NB	To Pickforde Dr & Bethel Rd	SB	To Lincoln Village	Map: Route 21 Hilliard Rome	[18]
22	OSU/Rickenbacker	Standard	NB/WB	To Grandview Yard	SB/EB	To London-Groveport & Alum Creek Dr	Map: Route 22 OSU/Rickenbacker	[19]
23	James/Stelzer	Frequent	NB	To Easton Transit Center	SB	To Eastland Mall	Map: Route 23 James/Stelzer	[20]
24	Hamilton Rd	Standard	NB	To Easton Transit Center	SB	To Eastland Mall	Map: Route 24 Hamilton Rd	[21][22]
25	Brice	Standard	NB	To Easton Transit Center	SB	To Canal Winchester Park & Ride	Map: Route 25 Brice	[23]

Routes 31 through 35 are laid out to connect destinations east and west.^[3] These routes are classified as crosstown lines.^[4]

No. and designation		Frequency	Destinations				Area	Ref.
31	Hudson	Standard	WB/SB	To Grandview Yard	EB/NB	To Easton Transit Center	Map: Route 31 Hudson	[24]
32	N Broadway	Standard	WB	To Heritage Club Dr & Main St	EB	To Easton Transit Center	Map: Route 32 N Broadway	[25]
33	Henderson	Standard	WB	To 565 Metro Place	EB	To N High St & W Kanawha Ave	Map: Route 33 Henderson	[26][22]
34	Morse	Frequent	WB	To N High St & Fenway Rd	EB	To Easton Transit Center	Map: Route 34 Morse	[27]
35	Dublin-Granville	Standard	WB	To Boardwalk St & Shapter Ave	SB	To Easton Transit Center	Map: Route 35 Dublin-Granville	[28]

Routes 41 through 52 operate on the city's east side; 41 through 46 serve northeast Columbus, while 51 and 52 serve southeast Columbus.^[3] These routes are classified as rush hour (express) lines.^[4]

No. and designation		Frequency	Destinations				Area	Ref.
41	Crosswoods/Polaris	Rush hour	NB	To Crosswoods Park & Ride	SB	To COTA Transit Terminal	Map: Route 41 Crosswoods/Polaris	[29][30]
42	Sharon Woods	Rush hour	NB	To Sharon Woods & Skywae Dr	SB	To COTA Transit Terminal	Map: Route 42 Sharon Woods	[31][30]
43	Westerville	Rush hour	NB	To Westerville Park & Ride	SB	To COTA Transit Terminal	Map: Route 43 Westerville	[32][30]
44	Easton	Rush hour	NB/EB	To Easton Transit Center	SB/WB	To COTA Transit Terminal	Map: Route 44 Easton	[33][30]
45	New Albany	Rush hour	NB/EB	To New Albany Park & Ride	SB/WB	To COTA Transit Terminal	Map: Route 45 New Albany	[34][30]
46	Gahanna	Rush hour	NB/EB	To Gahanna Park & Ride	SB/WB	To COTA Transit Terminal	Map: Route 46 Gahanna	[35][30]
51	Reynoldsburg	Rush hour	WB	To Spring Street Terminal	EB	To Reynoldburg Park & Ride	Map: Route 51 Reynoldsburg	[36][30]
52	Canal Winchester	Rush hour	NB/WB	To Spring Street Terminal	SB/EB	To Canal Winchester Park & Ride	Map: Route 52 Canal Winchester	[37][30]

Routes 61 through 75 operate on the city's west side; route 61 serves southwest Columbus, while routes 71 through 75 serve northwest Columbus.^[3] These routes are classified as rush hour (express) lines.^[4]

No. and designation		Frequency	Destinations				Area	Ref.
61	Grove City	Rush hour	NB	To Spring Street Terminal	SB	To Grove City Park & Ride	Map: Route 61 Grove City	[38][30]
71	Hilliard	Rush hour	NB/WB	To Hilliard Park & Ride	SB/EB	To COTA Transit Terminal	Map: Route 71 Hilliard	[39][30]
72	Tuttle	Rush hour	NB	To 5139 Park Center Ave	SB	To COTA Transit Terminal	Map: Route 72 Tuttle	[40][30]
73	Dublin	Rush hour	NB	To Dublin Park & Ride	SB	To COTA Transit Terminal	Map: Route 73 Dublin	[41][30]
74	Smoky Row	Rush hour	NB	To Sawmill Rd & Hard Rd	SB	To COTA Transit Terminal	Map: Route 74 Smoky Row	[42][30]
75	Arlington/1st Ave	Rush hour	NB	To Nottingham & Riverside Dr	SB	To COTA Transit Terminal	Map: Route 75 Arlington/1st Ave	[43][30]

Designation	Service type	Frequency	Destinations				Area	Ref.
CMAX	BRT line	Frequent	NB	To Polaris Pkwy & Africa Rd	SB	To E Mound St & S 4th St	Map: CMAX	[44]
102 Polaris Pkwy/N High	Limited-stop	Standard	NB	To Meijer & Polaris Woods	SB	To COTA Transit Terminal	Map: 102 Polaris Pkwy/N High	[45]
Night Owl	Late-night	Standard	NB	To N High St & Blenheim Rd	SB	To W Broad St & N High St	Map: Night Owl	[46][47]
COTA AirConnect	Airport bus	Standard	NB	To CMH Airport	SB	To COTA Transit Terminal	Map: AirConnect	[48][49]
Other fixed-route services: SmartRide New Albany Blue, Red, Green shuttles;[50] GREAT Blue, Red, Green shuttles[51]

The Central Ohio Transit Authority operates multiple services without fixed routes.

COTA Plus, stylized as COTA//PLUS, is a microtransit service in Grove City and northeast Franklin County. The service enables people to use a mobile app or call COTA's customer service to arrange a trip within service zones created for Grove City and northeast Franklin County. Fares are different from fixed-route COTA services, with single fares at $3, day passes at $6, and weekly passes at $20. C-Pass holders, university students, children, and those with discount IDs receive free or reduced fares relative to their eligibility for other COTA services.^[52] The service was first launched in Grove City in July 2019, and expanded with a three-month pilot to the northeast portion of Columbus and Franklin County in May 2020, following service reductions due to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic.

COTA Mainstream is an on-demand shared-ride program for riders with disabilities.^[53]

Seasonal or event-based services include the summertime "Zoo Bus" to the Columbus Zoo,^[54] the "Bus it to the Buckeyes" service for Ohio State University football games at the Ohio Stadium, and the "Zoom to Boom" service to the city's July 4 fireworks show Red, White & Boom.^[53]

In 1993, COTA began its first "COTA LINK" circulator route, operating in Downtown Columbus. The agency began other circulators, including Easton, Broad Street, and Westerville services around 2000. These services were cut around 2004.^[55]

COTA began operating the CBUS service, a free downtown circulator, on May 5, 2014.^[56] The route succeeded the downtown COTA LINK service. In May 2016, COTA began its AirConnect service between downtown and John Glenn Columbus International Airport, available with the $2.75 rush hour service fare. Previously, the agency offered a similar service with a $5 fare from 2001 to 2003, cut due to low ridership.^[57] On May 1, 2017, the agency overhauled its bus network, the first redesign since COTA's establishment in 1971. The effort simplified routes, increased bus frequency, connected more locations, and reduced bus congestion in downtown Columbus. The redesign doubled the agency's number of frequent lines and significantly increased weekend service.^[58][59]

COTA began its CMAX service, the first bus rapid transit service in Columbus, on January 1, 2018.^[60] In 2019, COTA ended its OSUAir service that connected Ohio State University directly with the Columbus airport, citing low ridership amid other bus route options.^[61][58]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of the agency's services were suspended. This included all express services, AirConnect, CBUS, and the Night Owl service. COTA restored the express lines in May 2021, reinstating 90 percent of the agency's former services.^[30][62]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Central Ohio Transit Authority buses.

• Official website
• System map