COLUMBUS, Ohio — Saturday, cities from coast to coast celebrated National Transit Equity Day, including Columbus.
What You Need To Know
- Feb. 4 marked National Transit Equity Day, which is also Rosa Parks’ birthday
- Columbus is among the cities that commemorated the day
- The COTA transportation service is pushing for better transportation by advocating for more transit funding for the state
This day also falls on the birthday of Rosa Parks, the civil rights icon known for refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Ala. in 1955.
Now, almost 70 years later, transit systems throughout Ohio and across the nation are honoring this day.
The Central Ohio Transportation Authority (COTA) has 40 fixed routes throughout Franklin County and surrounding communities.
But Jeff Pullin, Public Media Relations Manager at COTA, said, “There needs to be more equity in transit.”
One of the tenets of National Transit Equity Day is that it declares public transit a civil right.
To COTA, that means “public transportation needs to be accessible and affordable and equitable for all,” Pullin said. “It needs to be available for longer periods of time throughout the day, and also needs to provide more frequency to our community.”
However, COTA said it and other transportation services are facing a challenge.
“We’re in a national workforce shortage, which means that we don’t have as many transit operators as we used to,” said Pullin. “We need to work towards making sure that transit becomes more available for not only the customers who have it now but to the next generation of customers.”
As COTA strives toward that goal, the agency hopes the rest of the nation will be able to follow suit.
Sunday, Feb. 5 marks the first day of Ohio Loves Transit Week, when Ohio transit agencies like COTA spend some time at the statehouse advocating for state transit funding for the communities they serve.
