COTA Employees Surprise Young Man with Brand New Bicycle

On Friday, Mar. 18, employees from the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) surprised COTA passenger Osman Mayo, age 14, with a brand new bicycle. Mayo had been riding a COTA bus that was in an accident on Mar. 9 and his bicycle, which was on the bicycle rack at the time, was damaged beyond repair.

The COTA employees who responded to the accident noticed Mayo, who was visibly upset about the bicycle being damaged. His family lives more than a 30 minute walk from a COTA bus stop, so his bicycle serves as his mode of transportation to the bus, as well as to the library and his chess club. Mayo had just received the bicycle last Christmas from The Buckeye Ranch. He was devastated by the loss.

The vehicle that pulled out in front of the COTA bus and caused the accident fled the scene, so a claim could not be filed to replace Mayo’s bicycle. The COTA employees who responded to the accident were upset about how distraught the boy was, and could not stop thinking about him. A group of employees collected money to buy Mayo a brand new bicycle, lights/reflectors and a lock!

“We saw a need, and couldn’t sit back and not do something,” said Jimmy Pugh, COTA vehicle maintenance supervisor. “We all came together with a plan to buy him a new bike.”

The bicycle was presented to Mayo at COTA’s Fields Operations Facility where the employees who donated the money for the bicycle work.