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Old 04-11-2013, 03:45 PM
 
Location: NM
1,211 posts, read 1,847,737 times
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Since my tuition fees will apparently include unlimited use of COTA, my question is the COTA system any good? I'm debating whether I should bring my car or not, how would you rate the coverage and frequency of COTA?
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Old 04-11-2013, 04:04 PM
 
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It depends. In some parts of the city it is, others it is not. The urban core neighborhoods are usually pretty good, but the farther out you go, reliability suffers. I know COTA does seem to continuously change routes and extend hours to improve service, so from what I understand, it's gradually improving.
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Old 04-12-2013, 10:53 AM
 
Location: Columbus, Ohio
24 posts, read 64,567 times
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Having spent hours (in total, although one transaction did last 45 minutes) on the phone with COTA trying to help out library customers, my opinion is: no.

People are very limited in where and when they can go anywhere, and the buses have a reputation for being rough. Transit times are also very long.

It's something, and something is something. I would definitely check out routes and times before making a decision.
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Old 04-12-2013, 11:42 AM
 
146 posts, read 334,815 times
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Depends where you want to go. COTA does a pretty good job getting students into downtown. One of my interns commutes from campus 3 or 4 times a week and loves it. I use is on occasion, again to access downtown, and have found that it is a great alternative to driving & parking.
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Old 04-13-2013, 02:05 AM
 
96 posts, read 190,283 times
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The Good:
> If you're within easy walk to High Street, COTA is good with buses every 10-30 minutes (or maybe every hour late at night).

The Bad:
> reliability of buses actually arriving every 10-20 minutes. Sometimes, you'll have two #2 buses in a row and then nothing for 30 minutes.
> people not even riding your bus will stop the bus at bus stops and ask all sorts of dumb questions ("do you know where the #36 Crosstown X-press is at?").
> COTA can be like a rolling homeless shelter at times, and you'll see it and smell it. If you're noticeably upper middle class, expect icy-stares and/or people attempting to force interactions.

Once you're off the High Street lines, COTA's all downhill and you'll spend hours / day riding COTA / switching bus lines.

Also check OSU's CABS bus system which is really good. It's almost entirely used by students and brings you into the center of campus.

With a car: Driving is a mixed bag. If you're price conscious, you'll spend quite a bit of time parking on west campus and taking CABS buses over to main campus. If you're willing to spend more $$$ to park, you can park on main campus but traffic can take just as long to get into lots (which might have "FULL - NO VISITORS" lights at the entrance if the lot is full).

Without a car: Grocery shopping might be a huge hassle even close to campus if you're not near a grocery store.

There's no one defining answer to car / no car / bus / no bus. It really depends on where your home is located. Spending more on rent and just walking, biking, or using High St / CABS buses will make a huge difference in your quality of life.
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Old 04-13-2013, 03:52 PM
 
Location: Cleveland and Columbus OH
11,046 posts, read 12,322,586 times
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Live near High Street and you should be ok. A car is definitely nice to have though. Transfering buses is a pain. I used to have a job kinda by Capital. I lived up by Crew Stadium. It would take probably about 1.5 hours to get there. I was always pumped when my coworker took me home. 20-25 minutes in a car.
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Old 04-13-2013, 05:55 PM
 
Location: MPLS
1,068 posts, read 1,419,498 times
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I lived near High: not OK. bjimmy has a boner for any city in Ohio: if only Oklahoma City and Jacksonville were so lucky to have a booster like him: you'd think they were paradise on Earth. I lived for years within less than a handful of blocks from High and COTA is horrendous, just awful. COTA sucks, if you didn't pick up on that yet. And yes, that's taking into consideration that you're moving from LA.

If you're working Downtown it might work for a 8/9-5 job, but if you get off of work later like I did it was no fun having the 9PM bus be on the other side of town with the next bus coming in maybe 1 hour. Seriously. Even worse when it's the dead of winter with heavy sleet, snow or freezing rain. That is what I had to deal with just to get from Downtown to the neighboring Short North: the neighborhood that borders Downtown to the north.

I will say, it's worth every penny of the $9 you have to pay as a student. I suggest finding someplace in Old North so that everything is within walking distance, which is also the best neighborhood in the city: affordable ethnic restaurants, hipster bars, combo hipster-Indian bar and laundromat with a blue-collar-hipster bar, and coffee shop w/ vinyl, books, and shots to make that coffee Irish, are all just the beginning. I wasn't sure what to make of the Peruvian restaurant-bar drum circle, but it was very interesting. Oh, and there's the Iuka Ravine too.
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Old 04-13-2013, 06:17 PM
 
16,345 posts, read 17,950,202 times
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BRT, I think will help with some routes. High Street is pretty well covered, and Broad has been getting more buses and service starting last year. Some neighborhoods will always be harder to serve with buses, though, just because layouts are not always very conducive for it, especially far suburban areas. A better app to see bus arrival times, etc. would be great too. Oh, and trains.
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Old 04-13-2013, 07:56 PM
 
Location: NM
1,211 posts, read 1,847,737 times
Reputation: 1125
Home of OSU Students | University Village Apartments - The Ohio State University Off-Campus Student Housing

Olentangy Village - Apartments in Columbus

I've been looking at these two apartments, according to Google Maps, they look pretty damn close to campus. What does everyone think? I won't be able to check out the area myself till next month when I head over there for Orientation.
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Old 04-13-2013, 10:25 PM
 
Location: Cleveland and Columbus OH
11,046 posts, read 12,322,586 times
Reputation: 10365
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mplsite View Post
I lived near High: not OK. bjimmy has a boner for any city in Ohio: if only Oklahoma City and Jacksonville were so lucky to have a booster like him: you'd think they were paradise on Earth. I lived for years within less than a handful of blocks from High and COTA is horrendous, just awful. COTA sucks, if you didn't pick up on that yet. And yes, that's taking into consideration that you're moving from LA.
Do you speak English? I said it's kind of a hassle. I can give you some reading comprehension lessons if you have free time.

LOL you talking about someone else being a booster. You are probably the most non-sensical person on any of these boards. Quite an accomplishment.

Yep, I only love Ohio cities. That's why I still live in Ohio.

Watch your mouth too.
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