Rockdale County will start planning an on-demand “microtransit” service as the start of a 30-year transit vision finalized this month.
The southeastern metro Atlanta county’s Transit Development Plan was approved by the Board of Commissioners on Dec. 5. It proposes an on-demand shuttle service as a short-term pilot program that could inform future local and regional bus routes. The plan does not include any calls for MARTA rail extension.
“Currently, microtransit is the ideal model for Rockdale County’s pilot program,” said County spokesperson Melisa Mims in an email.
Today, the County’s only general public transit options are the Xpress commuter bus and a vanpool service, both operated by the Atlanta-Regional Transit Link Authority (The ATL). The County’s senior services program also operates limited transportation for seniors, veterans and adults with disabilities.
Anticipating a boom in population and jobs, the County and its only city, Conyers, in 2021 began work on the transit vision. The ATL helped fund and plan the document with other partners, including the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Georgia Department of Transportation.
The final report lays out the need for more transit in the suburban and rural county, which straddles I-20. Its projections for the year 2050 are a 20 percent increase in jobs and a similar increase in population, from roughly 94,000 today to around 112,000. The report also predicts a significant aging of the population, with a 40 percent increase in those over 65.
Rockdale already has a lot of commuter traffic, but only 1 percent of the population uses transit today, the report says.
“A high percentage of commuters are leaving the county for work and also entering the county from other locations,” it says. “Rockdale County primarily serves as a bedroom community for employment centers in Atlanta and Newton County serves as a bedroom community for Rockdale.”
The transit plan’s strategy is to start with microtransit and use it as an experiment to inform the establishment of future bus routes. “The three keys to service delivery are start small, evaluate, and iterate,” the report says.
Microtransit is a shuttle service with no fixed route that can be hailed via an app or phone call, much like commercial services using private cars, such as Uber and Lyft. Microtransit is a trendy option across the state, especially for providing flexible service in low-density areas, though it has critics who question its efficiency and ability to further clog street traffic.
The report identifies Conyers, with its higher population density, as the best area to launch a short-term microtransit pilot program. It proposes two potential pilot programs: one serving the area north of I-20 and another serving the larger city area. The smaller program is estimated to cost $394,000 a year, and the larger program is $788,000.
The recommendation for the “mid-term” – meaning two to seven years after the pilots – is to expand microtransit to other areas.
The long-term recommendation is to establish fixed-route or commuter bus service to a variety of areas. Some are within the county, while others could reach such places as Covington. Coordinating with Newton County’s own transit plan is among the goals.
The report also mentions “aspirational” plans in an even farther future for express buses to places like Lawrenceville, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Downtown Atlanta, Henry County and the Ga. 212 corridor.
Other types of improvements are required to aid transit expansion, the report notes. They include better pedestrian safety designs, “marketing and education” about the service, and so-called first- and last-mile connections so people can get to and from the service points. One suggestion for that connectivity is a public bicycle rental program.
The big question is how to pay for it. The report notes that federal funding is a large component of all transit projects. Limited state funding is available, and local funding is another source through such mechanisms as a transportation special local-option sales tax.
The next steps are for the County and City to pursue funding, find an operator, market the service, coordinate with other agencies, and continue working on the mid- and long-term concepts.
To read the full report and for more information, see the County website.
