Ohio’s transit agencies are in a world of hurt. Both Cincinnati’s SORTA and Cleveland’s GCRTA are facing budget crises. Even Columbus’s COTA — which has been in an expansion mode — is now facing a shortfall.
Agencies statewide are up against a vicious cycle of sprawl, says Ken Prendergast at All Aboard Ohio. State policies transfer infrastructure funds from urban areas to rural areas, promoting sprawl. That hurts services in urban areas, reinforcing the pattern. As people spread out, the tax base on which transit agencies depend becomes weaker.
