The state’s Xpress commuter bus system is walking back a proposal that would have significantly cut back the number of stops in downtown and Midtown Atlanta.
The reversal is based on feedback from riders who opposed changes that would have required them to transfer from the bus to MARTA trains to reach the city’s core business districts. The Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority, which operates the buses, is in the process of downsizing routes and bus frequencies in light of low ridership and a $4 million state funding cut.
In a survey of existing riders, 81% opposed reducing the number of downtown-area stops.
“It was very clear that folks were very concerned about losing access directly to downtown and Midtown,” said Cain Williamson, the ATL’s deputy executive director.
The ATL’s initial plan, presented last fall, called for cutting the number of downtown-area stops from 45 to 12, and the number of trips from 197 to 94. The new proposal, presented to the ATL’s Board of Directors on Thursday, would keep 41 stops and cut the number of trips to 86.
“We’re trading frequency for coverage,” he said.
The updated plan still calls for ending two routes at MARTA stations. The Ga. 400 route will end at MARTA’s Medical Center station, while the I-85 South route would end at the Lakewood/Fort McPherson station. Getting downtown from those routes would require a transfer.
The commuter bus service is one of many transit agencies that have struggled with ridership since the COVID-19 pandemic, which ushered in a new era of work-from-home flexibility for many office workers. MARTA, the region’s largest transit agency, is also in the process of reconsidering bus service frequency in light of lower ridership.
In 2019, passengers boarded Xpress buses 7,685 times per day, on average, according to ridership data presented to the ATL board. Today, it’s about 2,311.
Xpress ridership is higher midweek and lower on Mondays and Fridays, two days that office workers are likelier to have the option to work from home. The proposal would cut the number of trips on those two days to reflect the lower ridership.
The proposed Xpress cuts, which are slated to take affect in June after a final plan is approved, comes at the same time as some metro Atlanta-based corporations are requiring more employees back in the office. Home Depot recently announced a four-day office requirement for corporate employees starting in June, following similar orders from UPS and NCR Voyix, a digital commerce company.
Williamson told board members that Xpress will be prepared to adjust service as necessary, if and when ridership rebounds.
In addition to backing off the earlier proposal to do away with most downtown and Midtown stops, the latest proposal would keep open the Hickory Grove park-and-ride lot, which had been eyed for closure.
Williamson said the ATL is also in conversations with Gwinnett County to reduce service duplications along I-85 north of Atlanta. The new plans call for moving an ATL park-and-ride lot at the Mall of Georgia to Buford, where a number of county routes are operated. Xpress would also take over a current Gwinnett County route to Emory University.
In total, the latest proposal calls for dropping the total number of trips from 276 to 96. Each of the eight routes would feature a minimum of six trips per day — three in the morning and three in the afternoon/evening.
The proposal is likely to change again before it is scheduled for the ATL board’s approval on April 3.
Xpress is soliciting public feedback online until Feb. 12 and will bring back an updated plan on March 27.
Williamson said there are already plans to reconsider some of the proposed trip times. A few of the proposed routes have final pickups downtown at 5 p.m., and initial rider feedback has indicated that might not give workers enough time to leave the office and catch a bus.
“We’re very open to rethinking those trip times,” Williamson said.
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