COTA launches new mobile-optimized website
A new refreshed and reimagined website was unveiled by the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA)
The website was created from customer feedback and designed to improve the experience for transit customers with mobile optimization for multimodal trip planning.
The website now features improved access to real-time transit information, allowing customers to track transit vehicles and routes, search for transit near them and plan upcoming trips. The site was built based on suggestions from COTA customers communicated through multiple engagement opportunities over the last year. COTA frontline transit employees and community stakeholders also provided substantial input.
“We purposefully engaged our customers and the community to learn how to build a website that meets their needs,” said Alexis Yamokoski, chief marketing and experience officer, COTA. “More than 90 percent of our customers have smartphones according to our research, so optimizing the site for mobile utilization was a necessity. We also wanted to ensure that the trip planning tool functionality reflected COTA’s real-time service on the street so customers can feel confident in knowing the cost, when the next vehicle would arrive and when they would reach their destination.”
The new COTA.com, which now has ADA accessibility and new guidance features to make it easier to use COTA services, also connects customers to other mobility options, including COTA Mainstream, COTA//Plus and COGO bike share. Google Translate is also built in, allowing site content to be translated into more than 100 different languages.
“We are meeting every customer how they prefer to connect, including their native language,” Yamokoski said. “We are also getting them to where they need to be by providing information on all of COTA’s services, including our multiple mobility solutions.”