By Mark Woolsey
Microtransit is expanding into more territory in Cobb County.
The Board of Commissioners Tuesday approved a batch of contracts that will extend the existing Southside on-demand bus service to northwest Mableton and specific zones in Acworth and Kennesaw.
The approval was part of the commission’s consent agenda, which passed 5-0. However Republican commissioners Keli Gambrill and JoAnn Birrell formally noted their opposition to the transit-related portion.
They had voted against a resolution on the matter during the commission’s Aug. 25 meeting. The vote was 3-2 with Democratic Commissioners Lisa Cupid, Monica Sheffield and Erick Allen in favor.
Cobb County’s microtransit service operates as a door-to-door on-demand ridesharing transportation setup. It’s very similar to private rideshare services such as Uber.
The GOP commissioners opposed the plan believing such projects should be subject to a voter referendum. They point to the defeat of a countywide transit system proposal at the ballot box in 2024.
The cost of the expanded services has been estimated at $6.3 million.
Also this week, commissioners approved a more than two-million- dollar plan to reconfigure the Johnson Ferry-Shallowford Road intersection. Major development involving a church and other components is under construction near the southwest side of the intersection, which has become increasingly congested.