Journey coaching with COTA helps college students, older adults alike

As a part of the America Walks’ Week Without Driving, the Age-Friendly Innovation Center (AFIC) introduced their Autumn 2025 Scholars Cohort and members of the AFIC resident council to the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) for a journey coaching.

The nationwide initiative, operating Sept. 29-Oct. 5 this yr, raises visibility about boundaries and challenges confronted by nondrivers – who represent almost one-third of the U.S. inhabitants.

Transportation is a central focus of AFIC’s analysis and engagement. Participating in Week Without Driving highlights the real-life impacts of restricted transportation choices and underscores the significance of designing communities that work for all ages and skills.

“A Week Without Driving is all about finding ways to get around without your car and paying attention to where transportation options fall short,” mentioned Phoebe Allebach, the middle’s neighborhood engagement coordinator. “We’re kicking off the week by learning about what local transportation resources we have in Columbus, starting with the most robust: COTA.” 

Event attendees met with John W. Barrett, a COTA journey coach, who walked them by means of the bus system, from how you can discover the correct bus to what to anticipate at a bus cease and how you can pay for a journey. 

Pam Shields, founding father of the Urban Aging Residents Coalition (UARC), was thrilled to attend the coaching. She started UARC in 2020 as a approach to fight the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As seniors, we know two things for certain,” she mentioned. “You cannot isolate. And if we don’t have socialization, we will die.”

Key to staying related is having dependable transportation. When driving is now not an choice on account of well being, price, or different elements, older adults should depend on the options. The first step is being conscious of what these are. Shields and her fellow UARC member Ann Valentine now see themselves as constructing an data freeway for his or her fellow older people.

At month-to-month conferences, they supply assets, meals and extra. Many folks don’t know what assist is offered to them, Valentine mentioned. Events just like the journey coaching provide precious suggestions and tips.

“There’s so much information out there,” she mentioned. “We go out into the community. We bring pamphlets to give to other seniors. We’re talking to our peers, saying, ‘You really need to know about this. You need to know what’s going on.’” 

Sam Smith from the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) shared details about public transportation past Columbus. Smith can be a mobility supervisor for Franklin County.

“There can be coordination that needs to happen to meet a person’s transportation needs,” he mentioned. “Oftentimes it’s piecing together various options.”

Smith walked attendees by means of an train that requested them to think about how they get from residence to someplace vital to them – work, the pharmacy, the physician.  

“This is useful, not just for this week, but as you think about different life circumstances,” he mentioned. Weather, damage, time of day – these can all impression an individual’s potential to get from one location to a different.

The coaching concluded with a go to to COTA’s Mobility Assessment Center, a mannequin bus cease that’s used to show folks how you can use public transportation.

There is a half-size COTA bus, a crosswalk, a bus shelter and several types of terrain, in addition to ambient sounds and a video of road visitors contained in the bus to raised simulate the using expertise. Stairs and ramps are each obtainable to enter the realm.

“It is incredibly special that COTA has invested in the Assessment Center, which is a stand-out across the country,” mentioned Marisa Sheldon, director of AFIC. “We’re lucky to have this here and it is a reflection of COTAs commitment to ensuring the systems works well for all riders.”

Social work graduate scholar Maggie Morrison loved the various ages and views mirrored within the group.

“The most important voices to account for in conversations about accessibility are aging voices,” she mentioned. “I want to listen to them so I can know how best to help them.”

The coaching gave Morrison insights she was wanting to take again to the classroom.

“I’m in the Age-Friendly Scholar program,” she mentioned. “I want to learn how to most effectively work with older adults. Learning what they need when it comes to mobility concerns, that is the focus of my internship.”

Shields additionally discovered the expertise instructional.

“Kudos to all of you,” she mentioned to the organizers. “This feels to me like an octopus. All these arms are out here with resources and services. The more you tell people, the easier it is for a lot of us to use them.”