Cobb County’s public transit system will replace 12 of its aging buses with the help of a federal grant.

Commissioners recently approved the $8.3 million purchase of the buses, which will be added to the county’s CobbLinc fleet. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds will pay 80% of the cost, nearly $6.7 million, for the 40-foot buses. Cobb County will pay the remaining $1.6 million.

Cobb’s Board of Commissioners approved the measure 4-1 during its Nov. 18 meeting. Commissioner Keli Gambrill opposed it without discussion.

CobbLinc is a transit system that includes 9 local fixed routes that operate daily throughout the county, providing about 2 million trips each year.

The transit system is made up of 70 buses. FTA deemed the older buses in the fleet eligible for “federally funded capital replacement,” according to Cobb County Department of Transportation Director Drew Raessler. Those buses are 12 years old and have an average of 625,000 miles on them.

Their replacements will be made by Gillig, a California manufacturer. Each of the new buses will be equipped with new fare boxes, radios and automatic vehicle locator systems and about 40 seats.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Chris Van Beneden, left, who worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 25 years, and Julie Edelson, who worked there for 10, protest in support of the CDC in front of its Atlanta headquarters on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, after layoffs were announced. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)

Credit: AP

Featured

People join a rally in support for U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees on Tuesday afternoon, April 1, 2025, at the Atlanta headquarters after federal cuts triggered significant layoffs. (Photo: Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Jenni Girtman