Last fall, COTA said it would have free Wi-Fi on each of its 444 buses by Jan. 31.

Almost two months after that deadline, though, it hasn't happened. And COTA, which receives $125 million a year in public funds from two sales taxes, continues to negotiate with major wireless providers — AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile — for a Wi-Fi contract.

COTA expected a commitment from a provider for free Wi-Fi services for "four or five years."

In November, COTA officials told The Dispatch it would cost $250,000 annually to provide Wi-Fi for customers on all its buses. Doing so would make Columbus the first large U.S. city to have its buses equipped with free Wi-Fi for its riders. COTA officials hoped the system's 19 million trips a year and the prestige of being the first in the U.S. to provide the service would persuade one of the major providers to give COTA, and its riders, that service for free.

"We intend to offer Wi-Fi as a free amenity to our customers. As for our costs, we want the best price we can get. Free would be even better," COTA spokesman Marty Stutz said.

"We are exploring an opportunity to work with the city of Columbus that could allow our technology to seamlessly interface with Smart Columbus in the future," Stutz said. "We want any service we deploy to be compatible with technologies that promise to make Columbus a connected city."

If COTA has to pay $250,000 for the Wi-Fi, it will cost about 1.3 cents per ride based on 19 million rides a year. COTA has said if it can't get a provider to give free Wi-Fi on its buses, it might ask Franklin County or Columbus to help pay for it.

COTA is running a pilot program that provides free Wi-Fi on its Cbus coaches. Cbus is a free bus that loops between the Brewery District just south of Downtown and the Short North north of Downtown.

"We are exploring an opportunity to work with the city of Columbus that could allow our technology to seamlessly interface with Smart Columbus in the future," Stutz said. "We want any service we deploy to be compatible with technologies that promise to make Columbus a connected city."

kperry@dispatch.com

@kimballperry