Cobb Community Transit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Slogan | We're going your way |
|---|---|
| Founded | July, 1989 |
| Headquarters | Marietta, Georgia |
| Service area | Cobb, Paulding, Fulton, and DeKalb counties |
| Service type | Local and Express Bus Routes |
| Routes | 16 |
| Daily ridership | 3,793,253 in 2005 |
| Operator | Cobb County |
| Web site | http://www.cobbdot.org/cct.htm |
Cobb Community Transit or CCT is the bus public transit system in Cobb County, Georgia, one of metro Atlanta's three most populated suburban counties. (The others are Gwinnett County, which operates Gwinnett County Transit and Clayton County, which operates Clayton County C-TRAN.) The system now serves Paulding County, Georgia, with connecting express bus services to downtown Atlanta, within the city of Hiram.
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[edit] Operation
The CCT began operations in July of 1989, and has had relatively strong ridership (3,793,253 total passengers in 2005) since then. The hub is along South Marietta Parkway in Marietta, just west of Southern Polytechnic State University. Routes connect to the most populated areas of the county, including Mableton and Kennesaw. Express routes also operate down to Atlanta, connecting with MARTA at the Arts Center station. Transfers are free between MARTA and CCT, although CCT charges a slightly lower fare ($1.50 versus $1.75). CCT's annual operating budget is about $12.9 million dollars (2004), from fares and the general county budget, as well as Federal grants.
Newer buses are equipped with GPS, making automatic announcements inside the bus of upcoming stops and major roads, and stop requests from passengers. This is done by pre-recorded voice announcements for the vision-impaired and LED message signs for the hearing-impaired. External announcements are also made by voice, in addition to the normal electronic signs. The GPS also allows the dispatch center to keep track of where every bus is. The newest buses also run on compressed natural gas (CNG) rather than gasoline or diesel.
[edit] Planning
Along with Gwinnett, Cobb voted against MARTA in the 1970s, and thus was left out of the system. The lack of sales tax revenue from the two counties stunted the growth of MARTA, however the GRTA created by former governor of Georgia Roy Barnes has been seeking to create other solutions, such as possible light rail to Cobb through the Cumberland Mall and Town Center at Cobb areas. Other solutions proposed include special bus-only lanes on Interstate 75, and commuter rail into Cherokee County. A cross-suburb line over to Gwinnett County has also been proposed, intersecting with a future extended MARTA north line between Roswell and Sandy Springs in Fulton County.
[edit] Criticisms
Currently, there is no service to any of the western part of the county, including Acworth in the northwest (there is an express line to Acworth that runs mostly during peak periods), and Austell and Powder Springs in the southwest. There is also no service to the northeast Sandy Plains area, including the Mountain View area's county indoor aquatics center, Chattahoochee Technical College satellite campus, and regional county library. There is no service anywhere on Sundays, and some routes (or parts) do not have service on Saturdays. No fixed route service exists outside of Cobb County, due to lack of a regional authority, such as MARTA which has local jurisdiction in Fulton County, GA and DeKalb County, GA, supported by a one-percent portion of both county's sales tax.
[edit] Routes
Most routes begin and end at the Marietta Transfer Center, though several operate from the Cumberland Boulevard Transfer Center.
Major routes include:
[edit] Local
- 10: Marietta to Cumberland Mall via U.S. Route 41, then to MARTA Arts Center station
- 15: Marietta, south to County Services Parkway, then Windy Hill Road west to Wildwood office park
- 20: Marietta to Cumberland Mall, via South Cobb Drive
- 30: Marietta to MARTA H. E. Holmes station, including Mableton and Six Flags Over Georgia
- 40: North to Town Center Mall (at JC Penney) near Kennesaw, along Bells Ferry Road
- 45: Similar to 40, but along U.S. 41 instead; both end at Kennesaw State University
- 50: Marietta to Cumberland Mall, via Powers Ferry Road
- 65: East along Roswell Road, south along Johnson Ferry Road to Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, Park and Ride Lot, rush hours also to MARTA Dunwoody station, in DeKalb County
- 70: Cumberland Mall west to WellStar Cobb Hospital and Cobb County Health Center via East-West Connector and Powder Springs Road, including Home Depot world headquarters
[edit] Express
Express buses run only during peak hours, and only weekdays. Morning buses run only to Atlanta, afternoon buses only from Atlanta. All buses run via I-75, I-575 and I-20, and charge a fare of three dollars one-way, four for a round trip.
- 100: "North Cobb Express", Kennesaw (Busbee Park and Ride Lot) to MARTA Civic Center station, then to Five Points
- 101: "Marietta Express", Marietta (Transfer Center) to MARTA Arts Center station, and Peachtree Street at Luckie Street
- 102: "Acworth to Midtown", Acworth (Acworth Park and Ride Lot) to MARTA Arts Center station
- 470/47 (GRTA Xpress Route): "Hiram-Powder Springs to Atlanta", Hiram (Hiram 278 Theater Park and Ride Lot) to MARTA Civic Center station
- 475/75 (GRTA Xpress Route): "Austell to Atlanta", South Cobb County (unincorporated) and Six Flags Theme Park to the MARTA Civic Center station.
- 480 (GRTA Xpress Route): "Acworth to Atlanta", Busbee Park and Ride Lot to Five Points and the MARTA Civic Center station
- 481 (GRTA Xpress Route): "Children's Healthcare to Atlanta", Children's Healthcare Park and Ride Lot to Five Points and the MARTA Civic Center station
[edit] Park and Ride Lots and Transfer Centers
- Marietta Transfer Center (MTC) Park and Ride @ South Marietta Parkway (SR 120 Loop)
Routes 10, 10C, 15, 20, 30, 40, 45, 50, 65 and 101 connect at the MTC
- Busbee Park and Ride @ George Busbee Parkway
Express Route 100 and GRTA Route 480 connect at Busbee
- Children's Healthcare Park and Ride @ Big Shanty Road
Express Route 100 and GRTA Route 481 connect at Children's Healthcare
- Johnson Ferry Baptist Church Park and Ride @ Johnson Ferry Road
Route 65 connects at the Johnson Ferry Baptist Church
- Florence Road Park and Ride @ the Silver Comet Trail in Powder Springs, GA
GRTA Route 470/47 connects at Florence Road
- Floyd Road Park and Ride @ the Silver Comet Trail in Mableton, GA
Route 30 connect at Floyd Road
- Acworth Park and Ride @ Lake Acworth Drive in Acworth, GA
Express Route 102 and GRTA Route 480 connect at Acworth
- Cumberland Transfer Center (CTC) @ Cumberland Boulevard/Cumberland Mall (does not have a park and ride lot)
Routes 10, 10A, 10B, 20, 50, 70 and MARTA Route 12 connect at the CTC
