WOSU is reporting on the feasibility of policy ideas being floated by the three candidates for Columbus City Council at recent candidates forums. The first story is about Jesse Vogel's push for fare-free transit on COTA buses.
Columbus City Council candidate Jesse Vogel wants riding the bus to be free for all residents in the region.
Each of the three Columbus City Council candidates for the District 7 seat is bringing new policy ideas to the campaign trail. Vogel's proposal for fare-free bus rides on Central Ohio Transit Authority buses isn't new, but as a council member, he could assert influence on the topic.
Vogel is an immigration attorney in Columbus. He is in a three-way race that includes Assistant City Attorney Tiara Ross and former Near East Side Commission Chair Kate Curry Da Souza.
The primary is on May 6 and will narrow the race to two candidates who will face off in November.
Vogel has brought up this idea at multiple forums when the candidates have been asked about topics like affordability and transit.
"I'd like to find a way to go to the free fairs and go up this. This is not a radical idea," Vogel said at a March 19 forum for the Franklin County Democratic Party.
The idea is not unheard of in the U.S. One of the biggest cities in the country with fare-free transit is in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Iowa City, Iowa also implemented a 2-year fare-free transit pilot program in 2023.
A Columbus City Council member can use their position to advocate for a no-fare policy, but the decision ultimately rests with COTA's Board of Trustees.
Vogel could use his position if elected as city council appoints seven of the 12 members of COTA's board of trustees, where that decision gets made.
Vogel said he also sees a role for the city to boost COTA funding.
Fares make up about 17% of COTA's operating funds, according to the agency's 2023-2027 Short Range Transit Plan. In 2022, COTA's fare revenue was about $12.2 million, representing about 7% of its total estimated revenue of $163.4 million.
A ride on a COTA bus costs $2. There are programs like C-Pass, which offers rides for free to downtown and Short North workers.
COTA is also looking into bringing back a version of the old CBus downtown circulator. The CBus circulator was a free-to-ride downtown bus route that ran from the Brewery District to the Short North. That service ended during the pandemic, but COTA hopes to revive the concept.
COTA received just over $1 million in operating assistance from the city in 2023, compared to $710,000 from the federal government and just over $2 million from the state of Ohio.
Vogel said free rides would not only lift a burden for low-income folks, but also could increase ridership levels.
"The city also has a role to play and in looking at funding sources and helping being an advocate for more funding for transit to help us get there to make sure that our system is truly affordable," Vogel said.
Robert Weiler was a member of COTA's board for 13 years and was a longtime advocate of fare-free transit. He said he is glad Vogel is taking up the torch on this issue.
"I said on my tombstone, they're gonna put 'he tried,' meaning that I have been trying for at least a dozen years," Weiler said.
Weiler said if the goal should be increasing ridership and reducing cars on the road, making the bus ride free should be a priority.
"I haven't heard anyone say they're opposed to it, but then when it comes down to actually making it happens, it doesn't," Weiler said.
Weiler said there is a "finger in the eye" of the region because of this issue. He also said the LinkUs tax levy passing is a sign that this should happen soon.
"The bottom line is there has to be the will," Weiler said. "A good friend of mine used to say 'money talks and BS walks,' and so far we haven't had anything more than lip service. The will is not there," Weiler said.
Vogel agrees that this is the right time to pass this policy because of LinkUs.
COTA spokesman Jeff Pullin said in a statement fare policy is set by COTA itself.
"Similarly, feasibility studies to determine the impact of a change in fare structure would need to be authorized by the COTA Board of Trustees, and no action has been taken by the board to conduct such a study," Pullin said. "In terms of feasibility, any fare structure change would need to be measured by organization-wide impacts to COTA beyond the loss of revenue. These include significant impacts to labor, capital and operational costs."
