Cobb approves millennial-centric express bus route to Midtown

March 2018 is the earliest 10X could start, the county said.

This plan started in 2013 when Marietta partnered with Kennesaw State University, what was then Southern Polytechnic University (now a KSU site) and Life University in Marietta to study transportation needs.

The analysis concluded there needed to be a transit route focused on connecting Cobb’s students, who don’t have the option of taking a MARTA train, to different campuses.

Commissioners also hope the bus line will alleviate stress on the existing Route 10, which the county says has one of highest riderships of any transit route in the southeast and certainly the busiest CobbLinc route.

As far as differences between the two lines, 10X starts at KSU's main campus whereas route 10 begins at the Marietta Transfer Center. Route 10 didn't include a SunTrust Park stop.

And 10X also goes down to the Midtown station as opposed to route 10’s end at the Arts Center MARTA station one stop away. One quick stop may not seem like a big deal, except that the Midtown stop services Georgia Tech.

Credit: Cobb County

Credit: Cobb County

The project was proposed in December 2015 and received a $5.6 million grant early last summer to buy the 12 buses needed to operate the route. The county committed an extra $1.4 million.

A $2 million implementation plan was paid for mostly with federal funding; Cobb County contributed $400,000 toward the cost, said county spokeswoman Sheri Kell.

County transportation staff haven’t ironed out all the details, but expect the service to run Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. During the two daily rush hours, buses will run every 15 minutes, and then every 30 minutes during the slower times.

In addition to college students, the route will be open to the public for riders looking to navigate the congested U.S. 41/I-75 corridor.