The Central Ohio Transit Authority plans to prioritize compressed natural gas buses over electric buses in the near future due to problems with the authority’s electric buses that have led to 5-10 delayed or missed trips daily, according to a COTA spokesperson.
The shift away from electric buses, which have no emissions, to low-emission compressed natural gas (CNG) buses comes as the transit authority works toward a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal by 2045.
Jeff Pullin, COTA’s director of public & media relations, said the authority will focus on CNG vehicles while it watches how the rest of the industry performs with future electric buses.
“We are committed to having clean systems that we’re running our bus systems. But we also know that at the end of the day, the service has to be reliable and we’re not going to make that change if you don’t have a reliable type of vehicle,” Pullin said.
COTA purchased its electric buses from 2021 to 2024, when federal funding was available for zero-emission vehicles under President Joe Biden’s administration, according to Pullin. The Federal Transit Administration during President Donald Trump’s second term has shifted its funding from electric buses to CNG, propane and other low-emissions buses, according to a list of its 2025 grants.
COTA received more than $19.9 million in federal funding to buy new CNG buses and upgrade an operations and maintenance facility in 2025, according to the Federal Transit Administration.
COTA’s electric bus recall
Bus manufacturer New Flyer put out a nationwide recall on several of its electric bus models in September 2025 after it discovered a defect in the buses’ batteries that could cause a short circuit, and potentially a fire, when the buses are fully or near fully charged.
All 50 of COTA’s electric buses will have to be sent back to New Flyer over the next 12 to 16 months to receive new replacement batteries due to the recall, Pullin told The Dispatch.
In the meantime, COTA can continue using the electric buses as long as they are stored outdoors and only charged to around 75%. However, the reduced charging also reduces the buses’ effective range to around 90 miles, well below the buses’ maximum range of 150 miles, Pullin said.
Even before the recall, COTA noticed that its buses’ batteries were powering down sooner than expected and they weren’t getting the full mileage out of them, Pullin said.
These reliability issues have limited COTA’s use of its electric buses, causing the authority to rely more heavily on its 239 CNG buses. The CNG buses then have to go in for preventative maintenance, inspections and repairs more often, resulting in missed trips and delays for COTA’s riders, Pullin said.
“And that is happening pretty much every day, a handful, we’re talking like five to 10 trips. Now keep in mind the vast majority of the trips we’re meeting, but that is not a good situation for those people,” Pullin said. “That’s not a good customer experience when you’re the person waiting on the bus,” Pullin said.
When the recall notice on the electric buses came in, COTA purchased 38 new CNG buses that will be arriving soon, according to Pullin. COTA also ordered 38 CNG buses this year that are expected to arrive in 2027, he said.
COTA will explore other zero-emission buses beyond electric battery buses when the technology becomes available, Pullin said.
Transportation and neighborhoods reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com, @NathanRHart on X and nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: COTA has 5-10 missed or delayed trips daily due to electric bus issues
Reporting by Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
