COTA is Facing a Leadership Change at Critical Time for the City

COTA has just announced that their CEO, Joanna Pinkerton, will be stepping down from the position in May. We wish Ms. Pinkerton the best of luck in her next chapter. COTA and the city of Columbus have experienced many changes since the start of her tenure, including a global pandemic which shook the world, our city, and the way we travel.  

We are in the midst of a huge shift in the way folks are thinking about public transit—not just in Columbus, but across the country and around the world. We hope that COTA’s next CEO seeks to be a leader in that movement and understands the need for greater accessibility and transparency. We hope that the organization’s next leader is even a regular public transit rider themself. 

This departure gives city leadership a timely opportunity to find a candidate who aligns with, emboldens, and empowers the city’s Vision Zero and Climate Action plans, who seeks to provide increased fare equity over arduous and resource-draining means testing practices, and who includes every day transit riders and operators in planning and decision making. 

We have a bright future ahead of us with LinkUs in the works. We’ll be happy to continue to work with COTA and its new leader to get us there.