The bus to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will begin daily service May 23.
The Zoo Bus, a partnership between the zoo and the Central Ohio Transit Authority, takes visitors to the zoo for $2 each way. Riders can get admission to the zoo for just $5 or a voucher for $10 off at the Zoombezi Bay water park.
Without any other discounts, a family of four living in Franklin County could pay over $100 for a day at the zoo, as well as $12 for parking. With the zoo bus, the price of transportation and admission is $9 each person – $36 total for the same family.
The bus departs initially from the intersection of East State Street and South High Street, makes a few stops in downtown Columbus, then stops at park-and-rides in Upper Arlington and Dublin before continuing to the zoo.
Parking at COTA park-and-rides is free for transit riders.
Buses depart at five times throughout the day, with the first leaving downtown at 8 a.m., and the last bus from the zoo arriving at 7 p.m. The entire ride between Downtown and the zoo takes about 45 minutes.
COTA recommends taking exact change for the zoo bus for larger groups and families, since digital payment methods can only be used for one rider at a time and buses cannot make change. However, COTA family smartcard accounts can also be set up to avoid cash.
Daily service will continue through Sept. 7, then switch to Friday, Saturday and Sunday only through Oct. 31. Bus service will also be active on several holidays throughout the season when the zoo stays open, such as Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day and Labor Day.
Anna Lynn Winfrey covers regional/trending suburban news for The Columbus Dispatch. She can be reached at awinfrey@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Zoo Bus restarts with big admission discounts through Labor Day
Reporting by Anna Lynn Winfrey, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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