Cobb County is planning to pilot a new bus route from Austell to the Cumberland Mall area, which may partially replace routes cut two years ago during budget reductions.
The unique “flex” route unveiled Tuesday will serve both disabled riders who need curb-to-curb service and traditional passengers who want to pick up the bus at a fixed stop. The route, expected to be the first of its kind in metro Atlanta, is slated to launch by the end of September.
South Cobb residents and county officials say the new route is a step toward providing better transportation in an area where residents depend on buses to get to work and medical appointments. In 2011, the county cut three of the least used bus lines and the accompanying paratransit service as part of countywide budget cuts. Two of those routes were in the south Cobb area.
Claubert Mimy says his family could benefit from the new route. He lives off Mableton Parkway and shares a car with his wife. On days he has to work, she must take the bus to appointments, and he’s hoping the new route will cut down on her trip times and her 20-minute walk to the nearest stop. Sometimes it can take her up to two hours to reach the hospital, he said.
“It’s really messed up,” he said. “Sometimes you need to travel somewhere and the bus doesn’t come on time. Everywhere she goes, she is late.”
The proposed route will start in downtown Austell and run along Veterans Memorial Highway before jogging North to the Cumberland Transfer Center. Disabled passengers who live within a 3/4 mile radius of the route can call and schedule pick up.
The county saved about $3.1 million when it cut the three routes in 2011. But officials say this route is viable as opposed to those eliminated. Officials looked at the highest performing parts of previous routes and preliminary community input to set the flex route.
Plans are to run the route from Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. for three years before evaluating its success. The route is expected to cost $450,000 annually to operate and $27,000 a year to lease the buses. It will be funded through a combination of local and federal dollars, grants and fares. The county plans to get public input before finalizing the route.
District 4 Commissioner Lisa Cupid represents south Cobb and made reduced bus service a campaign issue in her 2012 election.
“I am glad to see the county is considering some alternatives for people who depend on transit and are looking at the availability of routes not only based on usage, but based on need,” she said.
Dana Lemon, a state Transportation Board member who represents portions of south Cobb, says the additional route is a step in the right direction, but doesn’t address the region’s real issue – the need for service that’s integrated between counties.
A poll commissioned last year by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found 68 percent of Cobb and Gwinnett respondents favored funding to expand train service beyond Fulton and DeKalb. The poll suggests the longstanding opposition to transit is softening.
“In metro, our systems are piecemeal, so it’s not convenient and not connected to anything else,” she said. “Citizens are demanding choices and options and we’re not meeting that demand. We’re putting a Band-Aid on issues that require surgeries.”
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