Educational Pass Program for Columbus City Schools

Make Your Next Move with Your Student Success Card

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    COTA has teamed up with Columbus City Schools (CCS) and Columbus Metropolitan Library to offer CCS students access to our Educational Pass Program.

    When the school year begins, CCS will issue a brand new Student Success Card to all CCS students in grades 9-12, granting them unlimited access to all of COTA’s services at no cost to their families.

    Class

    After-school activities

    Part-time jobs

    Internships

    Night and weekend events

    And more!

    There is no cost to students!

    How to Ride COTA With Your Educational Pass

     

    Rules of the Road

    Students are required to follow COTA’s Code of Conduct. Some of those rules include:

    • Be considerate. We’re all on this ride together, so don’t run, yell or throw objects.
    • Don’t distract your Operator. Your Operator is a trained professional, so please let them work.
    • Turn down the volume. Speak in low tones and wear head phones to not disrupt your fellow customers.
    • Keep it clean. Please don’t put your feet on the seat or leave trash behind.
    • No smoking, eating or drinking. Any food or drink brought on board must be completely covered—no spills please!
    • No drugs or alcohol. It’s Ohio law. Period.

    FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

    WHY DOES COTA PROVIDE PASSES TO COLUMBUS CITY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS?

    COTA provides supplemental service for CCS high school students through COTA’s Educational Pass Program. Columbus City Schools purchases transit passes for all high school students at a discounted rate for the academic year, at no cost to their families.

    HOW DO STUDENTS GET THEIR STUDENT SUCCESS CARDS?

    All Columbus City Schools students in grades 9-12 are eligible for a Student Success Card and will receive one at the beginning of the school year.

    WILL STUDENTS BE TAKEN TO THE SCHOOL ENTRANCE LIKE A REGULAR SCHOOL BUS?
    No. Students will be picked up and dropped off at existing COTA transit stops. COTA does not deliver students to school property.
    DO THE PASSES ONLY WORK DURING THE HOURS BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL?

    The Educational Pass Program is about expanding access to opportunity whenever students need it. The Student Success Card is valid throughout the school year and can be used on weekends, holidays, and during winter and spring breaks. It’s designed to support travel well beyond the school day, including after-school activities, part-time jobs, internships, job shadowing and more.

    HOW CAN STUDENTS FIND OUT WHEN THE NEXT TRANSIT VEHICLE IS ARRIVING?

    Students can track real-time arrivals using the Transit app. The app is free to download and allows users to see live locations and arrival times for all COTA routes, as well as plan trips.

    The Transit app is available for both iPhone and Android and can be downloaded at no cost from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

    Note: Customers can also use the Transit app to pay for their trips; however, students must use their Student Success Cards, Smartcards or BuckIDs to board at no charge.

    MY STUDENT RECEIVED THEIR STUDENT SUCCESS CARD/COTA SMARTCARD. DO THEY NEED TO DO ANYTHING TO ACTIVATE THEIR COTA ACCESS?

    No. CCS Student Success Cards are automatically activated for COTA access. Students can begin using their card on COTA services as soon as they receive it.

    WHAT HAPPENS IF A STUDENT DOESN’T HAVE A STUDENT SUCCESS CARD?

    Students must present their Student Success Card to ride COTA at no charge. If a student forgets their card, they will need to pay the $2 fare to board. Cash, credit or debit cards and digital wallet tap-to-pay options are accepted on board.

    If a student has not received their Student Success Card, they should contact their school administrator right away.

    WHAT HAPPENS IF A STUDENT HAS THEIR CARD BUT IT DOESN’T WORK ON THE VALIDATOR?

    Operators will allow the student to ride to and from school and will remind them to contact their school’s administrative office to resolve the issue with their card.

    This applies only during school hours. Outside of school hours, students must present a valid Student Success Card, Smartcard or BuckID to ride at no charge. If they do not have a valid card, standard fare will be required.

    HOW LONG ARE THE CARDS VALID ON COTA TRANSIT VEHICLES?

    The cards are valid from the first day of school through the last day of the school year.

    HOW DO WE ADDRESS ISSUES WITH STUDENTS?

    COTA Operators are trained in de-escalation and can typically resolve issues on board. If further support is needed, Operators contact Radio Central as they would for any customer concern.

    Students are expected to follow COTA’s Code of Conduct while riding. Repeated issues may result in a student’s card being deactivated by their school and COTA, which would prevent access to transit.

    Additional support is available through CCS student ambassadors, who help students learn and navigate the system, as well as COTA Customer Care at 614-228-1776 or the Transit app for trip planning and real-time tracking.