Following a divided public hearing earlier this month, Cobb County commissioners are expected to consider another step toward expanding the county’s on-demand microtransit service, with proposals that could eventually extend CobbLinc Go farther into South Cobb and bring the service to Acworth and Kennesaw.

The Board of Commissioners will consider two resolutions Tuesday to approve federally required Title VI service equity analyses for the proposed microtransit projects. The resolutions would allow the county’s Department of Transportation to move the proposals into the next stage. They do not, however, represent the final contract approvals needed to expand the south Cobb service or launch the proposed Acworth- Kennesaw pilot. Those contracts are expected to return to the Board for separate votes, potentially in September.

As a recipient of federal funding, Cobb County and CobbLinc must comply with Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Public transportation providers are required to evaluate any fare and service changes to ensure they do not create discriminatory impacts to protected communities.

Microtransit expansion has drawn disagreement from residents and commissioners, with supporters arguing that expanded transit would provide an important transportation option and critics questioning the cost and whether the expansion reflects the wishes of Cobb voters.

South Cobb

Since October 2024, the county’s CobbLinc system has offered CobbLinc Go, an on-demand transit service similar to rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft, in a 26-mile-contiguous zone in south Cobb.

The service is in its second year of a two-year pilot program, with the option of extending service for a third year.

The south Cobb service averaged nearly 2,400 trips per month during its first 19 months and reached 3,628 trips in April 2026, according to the county. This is compared to the approximately 640 monthly trips reported on the former Flex Service.

Following a 30-day public comment period, the commission held two public hearings Aug. 11 as it considered extending the program for another year, as well as expanding service to additional zones in south Cobb and north Cobb around Kennesaw and Acworth.

CobbLinc Go is operated through a third party, Via Transportation, at a fixed cost. Riders request a ride through an app, and drivers use minivans that can ferry up to five passengers. The service runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The existing south Cobb zone includes Wellstar Cobb Hospital, two high schools, several grocery stores, a library and a county recreation center.

The proposed South Cobb expansion would extend the zone into northwest Mableton, adding approximately six square miles to the existing service area. The area is bordered roughly by Austell Road, Floyd Road and Veterans Memorial Highway.

The county previously contracted with Kimley-Horn to conduct the required Title VI service equity analysis.

According to the analysis, the expansion would provide new microtransit access to approximately 18,105 residents, a 19% increase.

Minority population access would increase by approximately 16%, compared with a 28% increase for non-minority populations. The difference falls below CobbLinc's 25% threshold for a disparate impact.

Access for low-income residents — defined as household incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty line — would increase by approximately 18%, compared with 19% for non-low-income residents.

The county concluded the proposed expansion would not create a disparate impact on minority populations or a disproportionate burden on low-income populations.

No existing fixed-route service would be eliminated, reduced or modified.

North Cobb

The second proposal would create a two-year CobbLinc Go pilot serving portions of Acworth and Kennesaw.

The proposed 31-square-mile service area would include residential, commercial, employment and educational areas, including downtown Acworth and Kennesaw, Kennesaw State University, Cobb County International Airport and Town Center Mall. The service would similarly operate weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and cost $2.50 per trip, with free transfers to local buses.

It would complement existing Routes 40 and 45 and Rapid 10 by providing local circulation and first- and last-mile connections.

Last December, the state awarded a $3.84 million grant to help fund the north Cobb pilot program. Cobb is required to match the grant with at least $960,000 in local funds, though it may have to spend more money on top of that to fully fund the program.

The south Cobb pilot program currently costs around $1.1 million annually to operate, with 70% of the money coming from state and federal grants and another 30% coming from county funds, the Marietta Daily Journal previously reported.

The Title VI analysis for the proposed North Cobb service found that the project would not create a disproportionate burden on low-income populations, but it did identify a disparate impact involving minority populations under CobbLinc's current policy.

The analysis estimates the new service would provide access to approximately 87,140 additional residents, a 23% increase.

Minority population access would increase by approximately 14.8%, compared with a 40.2% increase for non-minority populations. The 25.4-percentage-point difference is slightly above CobbLinc's 25% threshold.

The finding does not mean minority residents would lose existing transit service. The proposed project is a net expansion, and no existing fixed-route service would be reduced or eliminated.

The county plans to address the finding through targeted outreach to minority communities, ensuring service reaches key destinations such as affordable housing, employment, health care and education, and monitoring ridership and usage after implementation.

Debate over service

The potential expansion has divided some residents and commissioners.

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell voiced her opposition to the Journal Monday, pointing to Cobb voters’ rejection of previous transit-related tax proposals, including the proposed 2024 Mobility Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (M-SPLOST) that would have funded a countywide microtransit network.

About 62% of voters rejected the proposed $11 billion 30-year transit sales tax in 2024.

Earlier this year, Republicans in the General Assembly passed legislation that blocks the county from holding another such referendum until 2032.

“I think anything transit should be a referendum,” Birrell said.

Birrell also questioned whether the $2.50 microtransit fare should be available to all riders rather than targeted toward residents with greater transportation needs.

“If it was restricted to say seniors or people with disabilities that needed the service at that rate, I could understand that,” Birrell said. “...I think it should be restricted to those that really need it, not just anybody to take advantage of.”

As the Journal previously reported, microtransit, paratransit and the former FLEX service are considered “demand response” transit and are more expensive and less efficient than buses running on fixed routes.

In 2024, CobbLinc spent $11.13 for every mile a passenger rode using on-demand transit, according to the National Transit Database. Regular fixed-route buses cost the system $5.66 per passenger mile.

CobbLinc Go rides cost $2.50 per trip, the same as a regular bus fare.

Supporters have argued that microtransit provides an important transportation option for residents who do not have reliable access to a vehicle or who live outside convenient access to fixed-route bus service.

Commissioners Erick Allen and Monique Sheffield have spoken in favor of the program, citing residents who view transit as an essential service.

“Transit is a service, much like parks, much like senior services,” Sheffield said at the Aug. 11 meeting. “We have close to 800,000 citizens in this county. Everybody’s not going to utilize all of the same services, but that does not mean we turn a deaf ear to and a blind eye to those who need those services.”

While the county transit system saw a decrease in ridership during and shortly after the pandemic, CobbLinc’s bus system has seen an increase in usage over the last two years, the Journal previously reported. In 2025, the bus system saw 1.4 to 1.9 million trips, depending on how the data was tallied.

Next steps

DOT Director Drew Raessler explained that the Aug. 11 public hearings completed the public-hearing requirement for the Title VI analyses. Approval of Tuesday's resolutions would approve those analyses and authorize staff to take the next steps.

For the existing South Cobb service, those steps include an amendment with the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority, now known as the Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority, to authorize a third year of funding and a modification to the county's contract with Via to expand the service area.

For the proposed Acworth- Kennesaw service, the county would still need to bring a separate vendor contract before commissioners.

“So it authorizes us to implement it, but we need a contract,” Raessler said, noting staff is expected to bring the contracts before the board in September.

The Cobb Board of Commissioners is scheduled to meet 7 p.m. Tuesday at 100 Cherokee Street. Earlier in the day, at the 1:30 p.m. work session, the commission will hear an update on the Economic Development Strategic Plan and 2026 employee survey.

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