The Cobb County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to buy 35 new transit buses from Athens-Clarke County over the next four years for $19.3 million with 80 percent, or $15.5 million, from federal funds and the remaining $3.9 million from county funds.
Of these buses, 31 will be replacements and four will serve the new Route 25 between Cumberland Mall and the Hamilton Holmes MARTA Station via Cobb Hospital.
Cobb Community Transit has 44 buses on seven routes, ranging in age from model years 2002 to 2010.
By buying the buses through Athens-Clarke County, there will be a savings of $64,000 per bus, said Cobb Transportation Director Faye DiMassimo.
While this replacement schedule should have started in 2011 but was delayed because of economic restraints, she said this schedule “gets us back on track at the lowest possible maintenance.”
District 1 Commissioner Bob Weatherford is promoting use of Cobb’s surplus buses possibly by technical schools.
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