(The Center Square) — The transit agency that serves a suburban Atlanta metro area county has seen a 60% drop in ridership from 2019 to 2022, while operating expenses have steadily increased with the help of federal emergency money that is soon to expire.
Now, Cobb County is considering putting a new 30-year tax in front of voters to support the bus system. The tax could be put up to vote in Nov. 2024.
The Mobility Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, if approved by voters will provide dedicated funding for transit as well as transit supportive projects that will “establish, enhance, operate, and maintain, or improve access to transit,” according to the Cobb County website.
CobbLinc, the transit agency that serves the Cobb County area through a private operator, has relied heavily on federal emergency money since the COVID-19 pandemic. The transit company received $1.9 million in federal money in 2019 before the pandemic. In the three post-pandemic years, federal funding has increased to $10.3 million (2020), $11.2 million (2021) and $13.2 million (2022). Meanwhile, operating expenses have increased from $22.9 million in 2019 to $27.5 million in 2022. The federal money is set to expire by 2026.
That’s according to the Federal Transit Administration that recently released 2022 data. The FTA data sheds light on what transit agencies across the country are facing as Cobb County ridership hasn’t approached pre-pandemic levels and an operating budget bloated by a big increase in federal spending.
The Cobb County Communications Department attributed the increased spending to the contract with CobbLinc, which oversees transit for the county. The contract had 3% increases every year for three years. The transit agency also enhanced service that led to increased costs along with increases in diesel fuel costs.
Cobblinc’s ridership has dropped from 2.5 million trips in 2019 to 993,547 in 2022.
The bus agency had previously collected $3.7 million in fare revenue before the pandemic and $1.9 million in 2022.
