Cobb County officials launched a new microtransit program, called CobbLinc Go, at Silver Comet Linear Park on Thursday.
The curb-to-curb service provides on-demand shared rides to select locations, including downtown Austell and Powder Springs, through a fleet of vans and a platform from software company Via.
“CobbLinc Go is about creating a more connected and resilient Cobb County, where everyone has access to the opportunities and resources they deserve,” Monique Sheffield, Cobb County Commissioner for District 4, said at the launch event.
The two-year program will replace CobbLinc’s current FLEX service and increase the transit service area. CobbLinc will operate Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at a fixed cost of $2.50 a ride. Wheelchair-accessible vehicles can be requested through the app.
“It’s meant to be versatile,” said Via’s Partnership Lead Tyrone Smith, noting that the service zone was designed to provide access to popular destinations like grocery stores, green spaces, and the Powder Springs park-and-ride so that it can connect riders to other transit options.
The app will also allow riders to see where they can connect to bus routes and get updates on bus arrival times, he said.
“We’ve got a lot of transit deserts [in Cobb County],” said Smith, who lives in Mableton. “It also doesn’t make a lot of sense to have big, fixed-route buses for all of those deserts because maybe the [ridership] density isn’t right or the operating costs would be too high. With microtransit… you can look at the travel patterns of actual riders and meet them where they are.”
Via is operating the service for the county, freeing up former FLEX vehicles to become part of CobbLinc’s Paratransit fleet for disabled riders, he said.
“With the goal of implementing county-wide, this pilot program will inform future microtransit zones across the county,” Lisa Cupid, Chair of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, said during the event.
Cobb and Gwinnett residents have repeatedly voted down measures that would fund greater mass transit service. In recent years, these areas are experiencing rapid population growth without robust public transportation infrastructure.
Some communities in Gwinnett County have launched similar microtransit programs, including a Norcross service that began in September.
Over the last 35 years, “our county has grown from a population of 439,000 to now more than 750,000,” Cobb Department of Transportation Director Drew Raessler said.
During the process of designing the new CobbLinc Go program, Cobb officials have heard encouraging success stories from microtransit services in Gwinnett, Raessler said.
On Nov. 5, Cobb County voters will decide whether or not to fund a 1 percent county sales tax for bus and shuttle service expansion over the next 30 years.
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