The number 10 bus hums as Sherrick Watkins sits in the back, waiting for it to start rolling along West Broad Street.
“I actually enjoy riding the bus,” he said.
Watkins, 36, who is returning home to Whitehall after surprising a friend at work, said he feels safe on the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) bus.
When he was 24, he was the passenger in a friend’s car stopped at a red light when another driver fleeing from the police rear-ended their car at high speed. He and his friend were sent to separate hospitals.
Watkins spent two months in physical therapy for lower back pain. Since then, he said, he has felt anxious driving a car.
Watkins is among those who rely on COTA buses to get around. The transit agency provided more than 11.12 million rides last year .
Several riders have told The Dispatch they welcome COTA’s LinkUs plan to improve bus service using a 0.5% sales tax increase levy on the Nov. 5 ballot. If approved by voters, COTA said it plans to use the funds to help build at least five bus rapid transit lines along major corridors, add on-demand ride zones, extend hours and increase service on some lines and possibly add new lines.