Public transportation hearings begin Monday

GAINESVILLE - A series of five public meetings begin Monday on two much-discussed facets of public transportation in Hall County, including the struggling Red Rabbit Bus System.

The hearings will be conducted by Hall Area Transit (HAT) and will deal with proposed route changes to the Red Rabbit, a fixed-route bus route service, operated by HAT and the Long-Term Strategic Plan for HAT.

In April, a consultant told the Gainesville City Council the Red Rabbit has seen a decline in ridership since it began operations three years ago and "if I had to recommend any one thing for the maximum service and costs management, a paratransit is
best suited for this area" as opposed to expanding the fixed-route system to meet the growth of the county.

The long-term strategic plan is the product of a year-long process to gather data and public input about the public transportation system, according to HAT officials.

The first phase in developing the strategic plan began last summer when the Carl Vinson Institute, a division of the University of Georgia, developed a Vision Plan that established overall goals for the transportation system. HAT officials say the second phase that led to the creation of the strategic plan took place this spring when McDonald Transit Associates developed a Comprehensive Operational Analysis for Hall Area Transit which analyzed and provided several recommendations for improving the fixed-route service.

"Together with the Hall Area Transit staff and McDonald Transit Associations, Inc., we have developed excellent plans to ensure superior customer service and positive changes that will make our public transportation system convenient and easy to ride," says Phillippa Lewis Moss, Community Service Center Director. Moss added, "We listened to what people said, and now we are ready to share our strategies with our valuable customers and those who care about public transportation."

The meetings are scheduled as follows:

§ Monday, Blackshear Place Library, 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
§ Tuesday, Gainesville Civic Center, 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
§ Wednesday, Murrayville Library, 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
§ Tuesday, July 6, East Hall Library, 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
§ Thursday, July 8, at the Community Service Center, 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM

Small groups/organizations may contact Hall Area Transit at 770-538-2601 to schedule individual presentations.