Cobb County commissioners will consider approving a $2.2 million contract with a vendor to operate an on-demand “microtransit” system in south Cobb.
The microtransit pilot program would serve as a test run for a service Cobb may one day expand to the entire county.
For two years, it would provide “curb-to-curb” on-demand transit service within a defined 22-square-mile area, as well as connect riders to fixed CobbLinc bus routes.
A countywide system of 14 microtransit zones is one of the main components of Cobb’s proposed 30-year, $11 billion sales tax to fund public transportation.
On Nov. 5, Cobb voters will approve or reject a 30-year, 1% sales tax to fund public transit projects. If approved, the sales tax in Cobb would increase from 6% to 7%.
In addition to countywide microtransit, the Mobility Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (M-SPLOST) calls for 108 miles of rapid bus routes and half a dozen new transit centers.
Roughly 18% of M-SPLOST collections — about $2 billion — would be used to fund microtransit.
Using smaller vehicles and on-demand service, the county sees microtransit as a way to provide transit access to less dense parts of Cobb, where it can’t justify the cost of building rapid bus lines. Microtransit has been compared to rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft, but would be publicly subsidized to offer lower prices.
“If BRT (bus rapid transit) is the tent post, the microtransit service is really the canvas that covers that tent,” Cobb Transportation Director Drew Raessler said at an informational meeting earlier this year.
Voters looking to evaluate microtransit likely won’t have much time to do so before deciding on the M-SPLOST. The county’s contract with the vendor sets a provisional launch date of Oct. 15, three weeks before Election Day.
The pilot program’s area includes parts of Powder Springs and Austell.
For the pilot program, microtransit fares, like that of a bus trip on CobbLinc, would be $2.50. It would operate Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Riders wishing to connect to a bus route will be taken to the closest bus stop. Curb-to-curb trips within the zone will be hailed in real time using an app.
The county would contract with NYC-based TransitTech provider Via to conduct the pilot program.
Funding for the initial two-year period is $2.2 million. Of that, 40% will come from federal grants, 30% will come from state grants and 30% is funded by the county.
The county has the option to extend the pilot for a third year, at a cost of $1.1 million.
The microtransit pilot would replace CobbLinc’s existing FLEX service. The FLEX service operates in three smaller zones, also in south Cobb, in which there are no fixed bus lines. Riders are collected at a designated pickup point and are taken to a stop for the Route 30 bus, where they can transfer for free. Curb-to-curb service is also offered within each zone, if riders call to make a reservation.
The last vote to move forward on the pilot program passed with Cobb’s Republican commissioners opposed.
“We had tried this before in that area ... and nobody used it,” Republican Commissioner Keli Gambrill previously said of the microtransit program.
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