Transit Columbus Meeting Notes: March 2025

Mar 17

Here are the latest updates and actions from our March meeting. Note that in lieu of our April meeting, we will be hosting a candidate forum with the city council District 7 candidates. See below for more info!

Ways to make a difference this month

Support passenger rail in Ohio

Contact your state rep and senators this week to ask them to support passenger rail. More importantly, urge friends and family in rural areas to do the same.

Sample script: “My name is ____ and I’m a resident of house/senate district___. I’m calling to ask Representative/Senator _____ to support passenger rail, including re-joining MIRPC and fully funding the corridor ID process. Thank you.”

Tell state legislators, members of congress, and the governor: we need transportation funding

The federal government has placed a freeze on funding from the bipartisan infrastructure bill—that's billions of federal dollars in transportation funding that goes to maintaining our roads, bridges, and transit infrastructure that is in jeopardy. Ohio alone faces losing out on nearly $800 million in funding. Take action via MOVE Ohio

Comment on the 2026-2029 Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan

The Ohio Department of Transportation is accepting public comments on the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) for 2026 through 2029. The plan identifies the multi-modal transportation improvement projects that are scheduled for some phase of implementation throughout the state over the next four years.

How to comment:

The draft documents can be found here and will be available for public review and comment through April 11, 2025.
Any comments concerning the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program may be submitted by email to Natasha.Turner@dot.ohio.gov
You can also attend one of the open houses listed at the bottom of this page

Upcoming events

Discussion on Transit & Housing with City Council District 7 Candidates

Tuesday, April 8 • 7:00-8:30pm • The Daily Growler (upstairs event space)

In lieu of our normal April meeting, we’ll be hosting a discussion on transit and housing with district 7 city council candidates: Kate Curry-Da-Souza, Tiara Ross, and Jesse Vogel. We plan to dig deeper into the candidates’ positions on public transportation, housing issues, and ending traffic violence in the city of Columbus. Registration is free but space is limited - you must register to save your spot.

National Transit Advocacy Spring Training

April 25-26, Pittsburgh, PA

Our friends at Pittsburghers for Public Transit are hosting a training for grassroots organizers and advocates who want to build the skills to push for change (more info and registration here). Transit Columbus is organizing a small group to attend and will be carpooling - please let us know by March 23 if you are interested in joining us.

Beers & Board Games events in support of Transit Columbus

Through the remainder of March, Beers & Board Games will be donating a portion of proceeds from their events to Transit Columbus! See locations and dates below:

Nocterra Audubon @ 516 Maier Pl

Thursday, March 20, 5:30-9:00pm
Thursday, March 27, 5:30-9:00pm

Olentangy River Brewing @ 303 Green Meadows Dr

Wednesday, March 19, 5:30-9:00pm
Wednesday, March 26, 5:30-9:00pm

Micromobility updates

Via Steve Neeham, Veo - sneedham@veoride.com

The City of Columbus has launched a new partnership with the micromobility vendor, Veo. This will replace the former set up that included CoGo bikes and a variety of scooter companies. Veo provides both bikeshare and scooter options, as well as a wider array of devices that included seated scooters. Learn more here.

Veo Deployment

Veo deployed this past weekend with 500 scooters and some pedal-free ebikes. Veo is permitted to have up to 2000 vehicles this year, and up to 4000 next year.

Veo offers riders a range of options, including traditional pedal bikes, ebikes, electric scooters, seated electric scooters, and may include a pilot for an electric tricycle in the near future.

Veo devices do not require powered docks to charge, so newly-installed docks will be more lightweight than current CoGo docks. You can also expect to see corrals - designated areas for bikes and scooters to keep them out of the way of pedestrians, etc.

Cost and Memberships

Veo Rates as of Today (subject to revision - current prices are always available in the app)

$1.00 unlock / $0.39 per minute (Cosmo) / $0.39 per minute (Astro) / $0.42 per minute (Apollo) / $0.25 per minute (E-Bike) / $0.50 for 30 minutes with no unlock fee (Pedal Bike)

Veo offers 3 membership options:

Access (low income/public assistance verification) $5 per month - 1 free ride (30 mins) + $0.20 per minute on all other rides (no unlock fee)
Veo Plus - Premium $8.99/month (unlimited free unlocks)
Veo Plus - Commuter $TBA. 2 free rides up to 20 minutes each daily + regular unlock + per-minute rate on all other rides

Passenger rail updates

Via John Esterly, All Aboard Ohio - john@allaboardohio.org

All Aboard Ohio recently hosted a Passenger Rail Day of Advocacy at the statehouse, where the group (which included a representative from Transit Columbus) spoke to over 50 lawmakers in both parties. Read more about the results on their blog.

AAO’s asks:

Rejoin the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC): Partnering with regional leaders will align Ohio with neighboring states’ rail projects and strengthen our collective efforts.
Complete the Corridor ID Process: This federal initiative provides the roadmap and funding needed to bring passenger rail to Ohio.
Support the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC): Ensuring robust funding and leadership for ORDC is essential to managing passenger rail projects effectively.

Ways to support: