Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
The purpose of this legislation is to amend the Columbus City Codes to allow the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) to legally operate articulated buses within the city of Columbus. City Codes presently do not contemplate articulated bus vehicles.
COTA has begun increasing service by approximately 10% per year to meet regional transit service needs. COTA's current Short Range Transit Plan includes increasing service frequency on local routes, operating service longer in the day, and extending service into currently unserved areas. Unfortunately, overcrowding on main local routes has required that most service expansion focus upon providing relief to these routes. This has severely limited COTA's ability to expand service to new areas. The acquisition of articulated buses will provide relief to overcrowded buses and facilitate assignment of other buses to service expansion.
COTA currently operates a fleet of 275 buses ranging from 30 to 40 feet in length. Most of the buses are 40 feet, with a seating capacity of 39. Earlier this year, COTA presented to the Transportation Advisory Committee of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission a proposal to purchase 6 articulated buses. These buses are typically 60 feet in length, with a seating capacity of 57 passengers. The first of the articulated buses would generally operate on Line No. 1 (the Cleveland/Livingston Avenue route), although they may also be tested on several other routes. The planned procurement would be for hybrid-electric buses, which have better fuel economy than regular 40 foot diesel buses. The articulated buses would improve driver productivity and decrease the amount of fuel used per passenger.
Columbus City Code Chapter 2139 presently restricts COTA's ability to operate articulated buses within the city. The Code limits the length of a passenger bus vehicle operated exclusively within municipal corporation limits to 48 feet, and 40 feet for all other p...
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