COTA Line Review: 46 Gahanna
this is why the rush hour routes don't get ridership!
what is this
The 46 Gahanna is rather subpar, even when it comes to rush-hour routes. It never actually gets around to serving the central part of Gahanna (which is really cool!) but it hits a Park & Ride and a few random streets.
okay, where does it go
We started, like all other rush-hour routes that go northward, at the COTA Transit Terminal downtown. We went north along High, then east along Spring (downtown-bound buses use Long instead). We had a rather significant number of riders, with every row having someone in it.
We went north on I-71 then east on I-670, getting off onto US-62 as 670 ended. We went past two very close traffic lights and effectively did a U-turn onto Agler Road. We stopped at the Royal Plaza Park & Ride, where everyone but me got off and went to their car. We continued along Agler to hit two more stops, at 540 Agler and at Lincolnshire Road. Both of these stops are at random intersections in the middle of a suburban neighborhood. We never hit the center area of Gahanna, and the terminus is not very well developed.
so what
This route is lacking in so many ways. It only runs once per day and never hits the downtown of Gahanna, just to name a few. At best it’s okay, at worst it’s literally impossible to ride due to your job downtown starting 15 minutes before the only bus arrives.
final rating
The 46 gets a 3/10. Gahanna is a really nice suburb that deserves better than this once-a day route to effectively nowhere. Run it more and send it downtown instead of whatever this is. The 25 Brice already serves the downtown, so why not slap a 46 marker on those signs?
I would assume that Gahanna doesn't want the buses clogging up that Creekside area as it's pretty narrow and hard to get around in even when there's not a bus there. But yes, lame.