Metro Atlanta’s Xpress commuter bus system plans to sharply reduce service as it reckons with lower ridership in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Thursday the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority Board directed its staff to develop a detailed plan to cut the bus service from 27 routes to 10 across the 13-county region. Under a preliminary plan, the ATL Board also would cut the number of stops from 55 to 15 and route many of its buses to MARTA rail stations instead of directly to downtown and other key employment centers — requiring many commuters to change vehicles to reach their final destinations.
The agency also plans to expand service in the future, introducing “reverse commutes” out of Atlanta and adding more east-west routes. Over time, agency officials believe the moves will increase ridership on the regional bus network.
But for now, board officials say it’s hard to justify existing service levels with just 30% of the passengers who used to ride.
“We all understand COVID has changed the world,” board member Todd Ver Steeg said Thursday. “There comes a time when you have to look at your budget and how many rides you’re providing and say, ‘This isn’t sustainable economically.’ ”
Xpress isn’t the only local transit service that has lost riders in recent years. The coronavirus pandemic decimated transit ridership in 2020 as local schools and businesses shut down. Transit agencies reduced service or focused on key routes, catering to medical and other “essential workers” who kept commuting.
But ridership has not fully rebounded as the pandemic eased. With more people working from home, it’s unclear when or if passengers will return to trains and buses.
In May, the number of trips on MARTA rail was just 44% of the same month in 2019, according to federal ridership data. Ride Gwinnett commuter bus trips were at 31% of May 2019 levels, and CobbLinc commuter trips were at just 7% of the previous mark.
Local bus service, which often serves people dependent on transit, has fared better. MARTA bus trips, for example, were at 79% of pre-pandemic levels in May.
Federal aid kept many transit agencies afloat amid the pandemic. But transit agencies are finding they can’t justify pre-pandemic service levels for a substantially reduced customer base.
MARTA trains, for example, used to run every 10 to 12 minutes from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays before the pandemic. Today, the trains run every 12 to 20 minutes, depending on the time.
CobbLinc has reduced the frequency of its commuter bus routes into Atlanta, and Ride Gwinnett has done the same with some routes. Now Xpress — the region’s most extensive commuter bus service — is considering substantial cuts.
In May 2019, passengers took more than 158,000 trips on Xpress buses. Last May, they took less than 47,000 trips.
As a result, the agency says operating 27 bus routes with 55 stops is not sustainable. In addition to cutting routes and stops, Xpress plans to eliminate nine of its 27 park-and-rides.
Under the proposed plan, Xpress buses would travel to fewer destinations. Six Xpress routes along I-85 in Gwinnett, for example, currently travel to Midtown, downtown and MARTA’s Lindbergh station.
Under the new schedule, a single route serving I-85 will travel to MARTA’s Civic Center station. Xpress officials say connecting to the MARTA system will allow passengers to travel to other destinations. The agency also would eliminate the Dacula park-and-ride lot, which it says is underused.
Xpress eventually plans to add “reverse commute” trips from Atlanta to the suburbs and to provide more direct rides to such employment centers as Fulton Industrial Boulevard, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Perimeter Center. But it’s not clear when the service will be increased.
The ATL Board staff will conduct a detailed analysis of the service plan and bring final recommendations back to the board for final approval. The service cuts are expected to take effect in the spring.
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