Columbus Deploys LinkUS Line 30 and 38 CNG Buses as City Council Advances $2 Billion Capital Plan and Affordable Housing Bond

Rapid Transit Milestones Under the LinkUS Regional Initiative

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Accelerating multi-modal mobility across Central Ohio, the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) and regional civic partners released the September 2026 LinkUS Progress Report, outlining major network expansions. Among the key milestones is the successful launch of Line 30 (Hilliard-OSU), offering direct, high-frequency transit between Hilliard and The Ohio State University, alongside the extension of Line 1 into Dublin.

COTA also introduced systemwide midnight service across all frequent and standard lines, expanded operating hours across 15 routes, and funded 37 regional pedestrian sidewalk and trail projects to create seamless first-and-last-mile connectivity for daily commuters.

Fleet Electrification and Compressed Natural Gas Modernization

To service the rapidly growing route network, COTA has integrated 97 newly trained transit operators and received the first 38 of 76 next-generation compressed natural gas (CNG) buses scheduled for arrival through October 2026. Simultaneously, construction commenced on the Hoover Road Pedestrian Bridge in Grove City—the inaugural active-transportation bridge funded directly by the LinkUS initiative.

Planning also advanced on the West Broad Street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor, with municipal zoning frameworks introducing Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) overlays to stimulate walkable, mixed-use housing surrounding future transit stations.

$2 Billion Municipal Capital Budget and $30M Affordable Housing Commitment

At Columbus City Hall, Mayor Andrew Ginther and City Council President Shannon Hardin reviewed the proposed $2 billion municipal capital budget. Central to the legislative agenda is an earmarked $30 million dedicated specifically to affordable housing development and home preservation programs, reinforced by a late-September public hearing on a municipal Affordable Housing Bond.

Municipal leaders stressed that synchronizing rapid bus corridors with dedicated housing preservation safeguards economic equity as the Columbus metropolitan area prepares for substantial industrial and population growth.