Nzia Isaac rode the #10 West Broad Street Central Ohio Transit Authority bus in Columbus from the west side to the Ohio Statehouse downtown Friday just after 9 a.m.
That route and the #2 route along East Main Street may soon be transformed with what COTA says is a faster, more efficient system if voters approve a sales tax levy this fall. That system is called bus rapid transit, or BRT.
Isaac's #10 bus took about 20 minutes to get from Westgate Avenue to the Statehouse at the busy corner of Broad and North High streets. Under the BRT West Broad Street corridor plan, a new bus with a dedicated bus lane would begin at Westgate Avenue on West Broad Street and head straight into downtown.
That BRT bus would share traffic with other cars all the way out to Galloway before the dedicated lane begins.
Isaac, a small business owner, grew up in Columbus, but just moved back to town this year from Texas. She said she doesn't ride everyday, but the experience varies when she does.
Isaac said the bus is pretty quick, but sometimes it takes longer if she gets on during the morning rush before 9 a.m. There were about a dozen riders with her on Friday.
She also said improvements to riding time and bus stops would be welcome.
"I feel like it will definitely work out, and definitely help the community be better than what it is now," Isaac said.
The LinkUs sales tax levy would fund three total BRT routes in the city before 2030 and two more later on. The first would go from the far west side along West Broad Street on what is now the #10 line. The second would go from the far east side to downtown along East Main Street on what is now the #2 line.
The third, which is still in planning phases, would go from downtown Columbus to Dublin and pass by key areas like Ohio State University's campus and the OhioHealth campus.
The cost? COTA is asking voters to approve a 0.5% sales tax increase to a total of 1% to fund these improvements.
Voters in Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking and Union counties within the COTA service area will see the levy on the ballot.
Specifically, the levy asks:
Shall the existing sales and use tax levied at a rate not to exceed one-fourth of one percent for a 10 year period expiring in 2026 be increased and levied by the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) for the purpose of providing additional general revenues for COTA and transit supportive infrastructure, like the general construction of roads, bridges, greenways, sidewalks, pathways, bikeways, or pedestrian underpasses or overpasses related to the provision of transit service by COTA at a rate not to exceed three-fourths of one percent for a continuing period of time?
COTA spokesperson Jeff Pullins said those first two routes would cost $339 million to build the West Broad Street corridor and $329 million to build the East Main Street corridor.
Pullins told WOSU BRT was studied and results showed it would make the routes about 25% faster. Pullins also said it isn't just the dedicated lane that will speed up commutes, but also traffic signal prioritization; a level platform to allow disabled people or people with strollers to get on the bus more easily; and payment kiosks to pay before people even step on the bus.
"Right now, for example, to get from downtown to Westwoods (Boulevard) on line 10 takes about 40 minutes, and it will be about 25 minutes with the BRT system," Pullins said.
Pullins said because of the dedicated lane starting at Westgate Avenue, it would take only 10 minutes to get from that location to downtown.
That's the idea behind BRT, Pullins said. He said the hope is to give people another option to get to where they need to be.
Pullins said the #10 bus is the route he would typically use from where he lives.
"I would love to be able to use the bus to get to work every day, but sometimes I got to get there fast. This will allow me to get to work at the same clip as getting behind the wheel of my car," Pullins said.
Pullin said the BRT routes would not eliminate existing fixed route lines like the #10 and #2, but they may reduce service frequency because the BRT would be added. Those fixed route lines do have more stops — over two dozen each — while the BRT routes on Main and Broad streets each have between 17 and 18 stops.
Isaac said a speedier commute would be more convenient. She said her biggest complaint about riding COTA right now is that some riders are rude to the COTA bus drivers.
"The improvements can be like less people being disrespectful to the bus driver, and not just doing what they want to do on the bus. It's more like a safety hazard for people that have kids," Isaac said.
Pullins said BRT could have an impact on unruly riders, albeit in a roundabout way.
"People are often frustrated by how long it takes or if the bus is behind schedule, or it's been rerouted and they weren't aware. This will allow us to be more frequent and faster, which will help the customer experience. And when you're improving the customer experience, then you're improving the attitude on there," Pullins said.
Pullins said COTA does have a three-tiered security system already in place to remove unruly customers if needed that is not a LinkUs effort.
Isaac said her concern about this plan is that cars will attempt to use the dedicated bus lanes themselves when the bus rapid transit buses aren't there. She said she is worried the lane could get blocked by these drivers.
Pullins said COTA partners with local law enforcement throughout their service area to enforce the dedicated lanes and the existing bus lanes in downtown Columbus that are only for buses during certain hours. He said they will also have to educate Columbus beyond November's vote on BRT before it fully comes online.
"We'll also be going to residents and businesses along that corridor as it's being built so they understand what that process is and what the expectations will be once the BRT is launched," Pullins said.
Isaac said an increased sales tax levy isn't too much of a concern for her.
The LinkUs levy includes other plans for added sidewalks and bike infrastructure around Columbus.
Isaac said the improvements are needed in the region.
The LinkUs website said if the plan is approved by voters, the West Broad Street corridor would come online by 2028 and the East Main Street corridor would come online by 2029. Pullins said the expectation is to have three total routes online by 2030 with even more planned in the future.
This story is the first in a series of articles reporting on the LinkUs sales tax levy before Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
