COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Some users of the Central Ohio Transit Authority’s program for residents with disabilities have criticized the service, including a man who said he was stuck in freezing temperatures after his scheduled vehicle did not arrive on time.
In 1978, COTA launched Project Mainstream, a mobility service for residents with disabilities. The shared-ride service is available to customers who qualify under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
Residents must complete an application process to qualify for the service, then are able to reserve rides within COTA’s service area by phone or through an online booking system. COTA Mainstream tickets typically cost $3.50 per one-way trip, or $105 for a monthly pass. The transit authority is funded by local sales tax, state and federal grants, and fare revenue.
Nick Hubner, 45, is a COTA Mainstream customer who uses a power chair and relies on the service to get around. On March 1, Hubner had a reservation for the service to pick him up Downtown between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. after a Columbus Blue Jackets game. Huber said the scheduled vehicle never showed up and he never received a call to alert him of any issues with his ride, despite the service having his phone number.
“It was below freezing on Saturday night and I had no place to stay warm as I waited for the bus,” Huber said. “This is not the first time that they just haven't shown up, but this time it was very dangerous with the temperature below freezing.”
Storm Team 4 reported temperatures reached a low of 18 degrees the evening of March 1. Hubner said his stepbrother and a few others waited with him, before they lifted his 450-pound power chair into the back of his trunk and drove him home when the scheduled vehicle did not show up on time.
“He has a brand new car, and I hated for him to try it for fear he would damage his car,” Huber said. “The chair does not collapse, so I really don’t know how he made it work.”
Jeff Pullin, COTA’s director of public and media relations, confirmed the agency received a complaint about the incident from a family member of Hubner on March 5.
“According to our Mainstream team, the vehicle scheduled to pick up Mr. Hubner was stuck in heavy traffic due to the Columbus Blue Jackets' stadium match at Ohio Stadium on March 1,” Pullin said in a statement. “COTA Mainstream should have contacted Mr. Hubner the moment it was apparent the vehicle would be late. This would have assured him we would be there, and he could have waited without worry. … Just like any vehicle during a big game day, delays are inevitable, and we try to caution our customers about that when they book their trip.”
Pullin said while the vehicle did eventually arrive at the pickup location, at that point Hubner had already found alternative transportation. COTA’s director of mobility services called Hubner and apologized for the mistake on March 7 and provided him with additional contact information in case he experiences another delay with a scheduled pickup.
“This is a rare occurrence for COTA Mainstream, as the service has a nearly 96% on-time performance for picking up customers,” Pullin said. “However, one incident like this is too many, so we will continue to work and serve our customers better.”
Another frequent COTA Mainstream customer, Joseph Metzger, 37, also said he has been “stranded a handful of times” after his scheduled ride was late or did not show up. He did, however, say the Mainstream is reliable “for the most part” and is a “great service” for the community.
Other posts and reviews online echo similar sentiments, with multiple people saying their scheduled rides are consistently late or do not show up, and others praising the service for making the city more accessible to them. Costumers also complained about the program's unreliable service to NBC4 in 2018.
COTA Mainstream provided NBC4 with complaints from over the past seven years from customers who said a ride was either late or did not show. Pullin noted these are complaints and not resolutions, meaning they could have been resolved by sending another vehicle to pick the customers up or assuring them their ride was on the way.
The most recent data shows out of the 346,429 rides the service completed in 2024, COTA Mainstream received 32 documented complaints of a vehicle running late and 13 complaints regarding a vehicle not showing up. These complaints account for 0.01% of the trips the service provided.
The number of complaints accounted for less than 0.1% of rides every year since 2018, according to the data provided by COTA. The full data set can be viewed below.
Hubner said he hopes COTA Mainstream will make improvements to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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