The Central Ohio Transit Authority has waived fares for all of its services Jan. 23-24 due to a cold weather advisory issued for Columbus, the agency announced on social media the morning of Jan. 23.
Franklin County and much of central Ohio will be under a cold weather advisory set to begin at 6 p.m. Jan. 23 as wind chill values as low as 12 degrees below zero are expected. The advisory is set to end at noon Jan. 24, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
COTA is monitoring weather conditions and could further extend its waived fares if the weather service extends the cold advisory, COTA said in a social media post.
The cold advisory comes as central Ohio braces for Winter Storm Fern, which could drop 8-12 inches of snow on the region between 10 a.m. Jan. 24 and noon Jan. 26, according to a weather service warning.
Transportation and neighborhoods reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com, at @NathanRHart on X and at nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: COTA waives fares for Jan. 23 and Jan. 24 due to cold
Reporting by Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
