Explanation
Background: The Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District of Columbus (Capital Crossroads SID) has developed a transit pass program called the Downtown C-Pass Program (the Program) for eligible employers and employees in downtown Columbus in partnership with the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC). Beginning June 1, 2018, 45,000 eligible Downtown Columbus workers, including City of Columbus employees, will be able to benefit from unlimited access to the entire COTA transportation system through the Program. The Capital Crossroads SID will serve as the overall program administrator and MORPC will develop and manage a secure website and database for the Program utilizing the Gohio Commute platform in association with Smart Columbus. The Program will last for 31 months from June 1, 2018 through December 31, 2020.
The goal of the Program is to proactively address parking shortages in the Capital Crossroads SID that threaten the further development of Downtown Columbus. By shifting commuters from personal vehicles to public transportation, thousands of parking spaces could be opened that would encourage higher commercial office occupancy rates, provide cost-effective transportation to employees, improve air quality, and reduce roadway congestion. The Program is the largest of its kind in the nation and could become a model for other cities to follow to sustainably address transportation challenges by encouraging more transit use instead of continuing to build expensive parking garages that take up developable land.
Three years ago, downtown property owners feared a parking shortage would stall development. That is when the Capital Crossroads SID, MORPC and COTA joined forces to pilot a study to see if downtown workers would change commuting habits with a transit incentive. Transit ridership nearly doubled when employees were offered a bus pass at no cost to them.
Based on the success o...
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