Cobb Community Transit
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Cobb Community Transit or CCT is the bus public transit system in Cobb County, Georgia, one of metro Atlanta's two most populated suburban counties. (The other is Gwinnett County, which operates Gwinnett County Transit.)
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Operation
It began in July of 1991, and has had relatively strong ridership (three million in 2003) 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 ($1.25 versus $1.75). CCT's annual budget is about seven million dollars, 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.
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 an future extended MARTA north line between Roswell and Sandy Springs in Fulton County.
Criticisms
Currently, there is no service to any of the western part of the county, including Acworth in the northwest, 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 aywhere on sundays, and some routes (or parts) do not have service on saturdays. No service exists to neighboring cities just outside the county, like Woodstock and Roswell.
Routes
Most routes begin and end at the Marietta Transfer Center, though several operate from the Cumberland Boulevard Transfer Center. The MTC has a park and ride lot, and there are two other lots – one at Busbee Parkway, the other at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. Major routes include:
Local
- 10: Marietta to Cumberland via U.S. 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, via South Cobb Drive
- 30: Marietta to MARTA H. E. Holmes station, including Mableton and Six Flags Over Georgia
- 40: north to Town Center (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, via Powers Ferry Road
- 65: east along Roswell Road, south along Johnson Ferry Road to JFBC, rush hours also to MARTA Dunwoody station
- 70: Cumberland south to MARTA Homes station, including Home Depot world headquarters
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, and charge a fare of three dollars one-way, four for a round trip.
- 100: "North Cobb Express", Kennesaw (Busbee) to MARTA Civic Center station, then to Five Points
- 101: "Marietta Express", Marietta to MARTA Arts Center station, and Peachtree Street at Luckie Street
- 102: "Kennesaw to Midtown", Kennesaw (Busbee Park and Ride) to MARTA Arts Center station
External link
- CCT website (http://www.cobbdot.org/cct.htm)