Taking Transit to Sporting Events
it's nice not to drive in stadium traffic
why should you take transit to sports
It is very nice not to have to deal with stadium traffic. I took my local bus to the downtown COTA Transit Terminal, and then the 3 directly to Nationwide. It was very quick and convenient, but the 3 was pretty slow, as are most routes when they run downtown.
Also, it’s very cost-effective to take transit. Going to and from a sporting event costs $4, and if you have taken COTA earlier in the day, COTA caps your fare at $4.50 so you don’t pay extra! Parking your car near a stadium can cost much more than $4, and you don’t need to worry about walking too far from your car to the stadium. COTA routes 3 and 8 both go directly to Nationwide Arena, and many other routes come within a few blocks.
Last, but certainly not least, transit immediately before or after a game is often moving tons of fans to and from the arena, where fans celebrate their team’s win even after they’ve left the stadium and are on their way home! Taking transit to and from a game is among the most fun I’ve ever had as a sports fan.
how you should take transit to sports
Above is a map of all COTA services that serve through the area immediately surrounding Nationwide Arena. The map is also posted on Instagram (linked here). I used a combination of COTA’s timetables and the Transit app to gather the information needed to draw out this diagram.
some notes
If you are coming from areas near the northern terminus of the 8 (like Northland), I would highly suggest not taking the 8 all the way down. I would suggest somehow making it over to either Cleveland Avenue or High Street and taking CMAX or the 2/102 down as they feel much faster and more direct. The 8 is good and frequent, but it feels soooo slow.
The same goes for fans from other far-flung suburbs, like Reynoldsburg, Hilliard, Grove City, and Westerville. I would recommend taking your local rush-hour bus to downtown (51 for Reynoldsburg, 71 for Hilliard, 61 for Grove City, 43 for Westerville) instead of the local bus listed if the times work out. The 51 and 61 go to the Spring Street Terminal (within walking distance-ish of Nationwide), and the 71 and 43 go to the downtown COTA Transit Terminal, where you can interchange to the 3 or 8 which both take you directly to Nationwide.
Just because your neighborhood isn’t listed under the “What route to take” section doesn’t mean that you can’t take transit to the game! There is frequent service from many neighborhoods to downtown, just not directly to the arena. In most cases, you can just take your local bus downtown and then interchange to one of the buses shown on the map (the 3 and 8 get you closest to the entrance).
If you’re going to a game, consider transit!
The other thing that's a big bonus for sports fans on the bus is that you don't have to worry about drinking and driving! If you've had a beer or two (or more) then the bus is an awesome option.
The 2 and 4 (and the 102) are all great options for the Clintonville or High Street corridors for getting there as well. You have the Jackets, the Crew, and the Clippers' stadiums all within walking distance of the stops in front of the Nationwide building!