Upper Arlington residents talked directly with COTA staff Aug. 25, about two major bus route changes launching Sept. 7, including a brand-new line running through the city.

The Central Ohio Transit Authority held a public open house from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Bob Crane Community Center, 3200 Tremont Rd. Residents could ask questions and speak with staff before the new service begins, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

What's changing

The biggest addition is Line 30, branded "Hilliard-OSU," which will connect Hilliard, Upper Arlington, the Ohio State University campus and downtown Columbus. The route will run every 30 minutes, seven days a week.

COTA is also splitting the existing Line 1 into two separate routes. Line 1 Kenny will run north, and Line 1 Livingston will run south and east. Currently, Line 1 runs from OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital to COTA's Reynoldsburg Park and Ride as a single route.

The Line 1 Kenny extension will reach from Carriage Place to the Ohio State Outpatient Care Center in Dublin, creating a new fixed-route bus connection to Dublin for the first time. Both new Line 1 routes will run every 15 minutes, except the Carriage Place-to-Dublin stretch, which will run every 30 minutes.

Bigger picture

Line 30 is a product of COTA's LinkUS initiative, the $8 billion plan to expand central Ohio's transit system funded by a sales tax increase voters approved in November 2024.

COTA spokesperson Jeff Pullin said in April, during public meetings on the agency's short-range transit plan, that the overall plan would deliver about 30% more service over five years, with Saturday frequency increasing roughly 64% and Sunday frequency up about 74%.

"But not all of these changes can be made and it's really important for the public to give feedback," Pullin said at the time.

The new routes take effect Sept. 7. No additional public meetings on these changes have been announced.