CCT Wants to Hear From You on South Cobb Route Cut and Fare Increases

According to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report, the average price of regular gas is $3.74. Those who want to save money by using public transit instead of their own automobiles may not have the option in South Cobb, which is also an area where  Cobb Community Transit routes are residents' only means to get to their jobs, the grocery store or anywhere else.

Right now, to help with the county’s $31 million budget shortfall, CCT has proposed canceling three routes: 35, which runs through South Cobb and 65 and 70.

The South Cobb route 35 had the lowest ridership in 2010, said Transit Division Manager Rebecca Gutowsky, making 92,000 trips over the entire year.

Gutowsky said that one of the routes with the highest ridership is route 10, which made 1.1 million trips in 2010. Route 10 travels along Cobb Parkway in Marietta to the MARTA Arts Center Station in the heart of Midtown Atlanta. Route 35 is a local route, which operates throughout Austell from Wellstar Cobb Hospital through downtown Austell.  The route does stop at the MARTA Holmes Station in southwest Atlanta.

Route 35, first implemented in January 2010, is the newest local CCT route. Gutowsky said CCT never had a route in this area before that time.

“The high unemployment rate has impacted the success of that route,” said Gutowsky.

With the route being canceled, many unemployed people will have no transportation to interviews, and employed individuals will no longer have transportation to the jobs they do have.

In addition to canceling these routes, the transit authority is proposing fare increases of $1 for express routes and 50 cents for local routes, bringing the new costs to $5.00 for express routes and $2.50 for local routes.

The most recent fare increase was November.

Fares for senior citizens, youth, disabled or paratransit riders will not increase. Paratransit riders are those who qualify to be picked up and dropped off from any locations, regardless if there is a bus stop there, throughout the county.

If the county commissioners approve the changes, the fare increases and route cancellations would go into effect on July 1.

CCT is holding community meetings throughout the county, and the next ones will be at the South Cobb Community Government Service Center on Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Members of the community are invited to make or submit their comments at any time during these scheduled hours.

“We compile all of the comments,” said Gutowsky. “They (Cobb commissioners) will have that information to review so that they can make a decision.”

“It’s important that people comment on these changes.”

For those unable to submit their comments in person, the CCT website has a form for online comment submissions, which will be accepted until May 28.