In Search of a City: The Night Owl Bus
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
COTA recently introduced a bus line called the “Night Owl.” It’s a late-night party bus that runs every 30 minutes on Fridays and Saturdays from the Arena District to northern Clintonville. The last run from Clintonville to downtown leaves Clintonville at 2:13 am, and buses depart from downtown and the Short North until 2:40 am.
The service is a great addition to the Columbus scene. It allows folks who want to drink and dance the night away to leave their cars at home when they flock to watering holes on Park Street, the Short North and University District.
The service is also a huge benefit for the hundreds of bar and restaurant employees who work until the wee hours of the morning. Parking anywhere between 11th Avenue and Nationwide Boulevard is expensive. Imagine walking several blocks to a remote location at 2:30 am to retrieve a car or paying for daily taxicab service.
The Night Owl replaces the #20, which COTA discontinued several years ago during a budget crisis. If the Night Owl draws a similar crowd, it will feel like Toronto’s street cars late at night. Experiencing the Night Owl will be almost as much fun as the destination.
Cheryl of 
I got a taste of suburban commuting last week when I took two of my kids to camp near State Route 315 and Bethel Road. The 7:30 am trip from the Short North to camp was easy because the trip was a “reverse commute” against incoming traffic. My return toward downtown at 8:00 am, however, was hellacious.
I would love to go dancing in The Bottoms. For that matter, I would enjoy telling people that I lived in The Bottoms.
On May 7, 


