Robert Hiett - Georgia Transit Association's (GTA) presentation to the Georgia Senate study committee on transit governance. It was presented on Oct 5, 2016.

1. State Transit Report
2016

2. Georgia Transit Vision
Critical Points of Consideration
1. Who is in charge of Georgia’s transit strategy
and implementation?
2. Is multi-county and multi-regional transit
important to Georgia?
3. How can Georgia’s leadership strengthen
transit?
4. What entity is in charge of coordinating public
and human services transit?
5. Are Millennials important to Georgia’s future
workforce?
6. Is transit important for Georgia’s rising elderly
population?

3. Georgia Transit Milestones
1. Human services transit programs are coordinated (1998)
2. GRTA express bus services provide suburban to urban linkage
3. Georgia Rural and Human Services Transit coordinating council is
established
• Repealed 2015
4. Transportation Investment Act of 2010
• Provided operating funds for transit programs – regional based
5. Transportation Funding Act of 2015 (HB170)
• Provided operating funds for transit programs – county level
6. Authorization of Go Transit Bond s - $75 Million

4. State Transit Governance
State Level Transit Governance
The Georgia Transit Association (GTA) supports a state transit governance model that
enhances access to public and human services transit, preserves local control, and
coordinates existing transit programs to eliminate the duplication of services.
Recommendations
• Designate a single state agency to administer public and human
services transit programs, streamline policy guidance, and to
maximize state transit funding to create a stronger transit
network.
• Authorize the state agency to establish a statewide transit
planning process, and direct it to produce a strategic transit
plan every five years.

5. State Transit Governance Cont’d.
Figure 1: Transit Coordination Chart (FTA, 2016)

6. Georgia Transit Systems - 2016
Issue:
There are multiple agencies that are
responsible for delivering transit services.
Improved state governance is a critical first step
to optimize local, multi-county, and multi-
regional transit services.
• There are multiple definitions of a “region”
• Public transit is available in 120+ of Georgia’s
159 counties
• Human services transit is available in all 159
counties (DHS)
• Medicaid transit service is available in all 159
counties (DCH)
• GRTA Express Bus services provides critical
suburban to urban linkage
Figure 2: Transit Map (GDOT, 2016)

7. Regional Transit Governance
Regional Level Transit Governance
The Georgia Transit Association (GTA) supports a regional transit governance model that
enhances access to public and human services transit, preserves local control, and
coordinates existing transit programs to eliminate the duplication of services.
Recommendations
• Develop a voluntary process for local governments to designate
a transit service region, and to establish all reasonable and
necessary intergovernmental agreements to administer public
and human services transit programs, streamline policy
guidance, and to maximize funding to create a stronger transit
network.

8. Georgia Transit Funding
Figure 3. State Funding Chart (AASHTO, 2016)
Georgia provides a
small amount of state
funding for capital
projects, but it
provides no operating
funds for local transit
programs.

9. Georgia Transit Funding Per Capita
2014 State Transit Funding Per Capita
Alabama $ 0.00
Georgia $ 0.33
Florida * $11.55
Mississippi* $ 0.53
North Carolina* $ 7.98
South Carolina* $ 1.24
Tennessee* $ 7.62
Virginia* $30.19
Table 1. State Funding Per Capita (AASHTO, 2016)
Note: * Indicates state operating assistance

10. How is Transit Funded?
50%
0%
50%
Operations
Federal
State
Local
80%
10%
10%
Capital
Federal
State
Local
• Georgia must contribute a significant level of funding, primarily in operations, to
increase transit competitiveness
• Transit cannot exist without local government funding and support
• Large urban areas (200,000+ population) must fund 100% of operational costs
Figure 4. Funding Percentages (AASHTO, 2016)

11. Georgia Transit Facts
Fleet Capacity
• The urban transit fleet size, as of 2014, was approximately 1,400
(bus/rail)
• The rural transit fleet size, as of 2014, was approximately 461 shuttle
buses
Number of Transit Systems
• The AASHTO 2016 public transit survey report indicated that Georgia
has the third highest number of transit systems in the country (NTD,
2014)
• Kansas (146)
• California (139)
• Georgia (120)
• New York (114)
Economic Activity
• The economic activity, as of 2014, generated by Georgia’s
public and human services transit programs was
approximately $4.3 billion dollars. (NTD, 2014)

12. Georgia 2030: Senior Livability
• Georgia’s aging population will rise sharply
through 2030
• Human services transit, including the
elderly, will need a 31% funding increase to
keep up with population growth (Aging,
2012).
• Public transit systems will have to increase
system flexibility to accommodate older
riders
Figure 5. Aging Population Projections (Aging, 2012)

13. Georgia 2030: Millennial Livability
• Millennials prefer to have multiple
transportation choices
• Transportation options influence where
Millennials live and work
• Millennials are more willing to use transit,
but car sharing services are also popular
• Millennials utilize technology to find the
best transportation alternative
Figure 6. Millennial Mobility (APTA, 2013)

14. Georgia Transportation Options?
Questions to Consider:
How can Georgia compete for Millennial talent
with a state transit system that rates a D- from
ASCE?
How does a suburban Millennial take GRTA into
Atlanta if their local county can’t provide
reliable access to the park and ride lot?
Can a Millennial worker use technology to build
and navigate transit options to reliably
commute across counties in Georgia?
Stranded Millennial Worker

15. Contact Information
Robert Hiett
President
Georgia Transit Association
www.gatransit.org
rhiett@threeriversrc.com
678-692-0510

16. References
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. (2016). Public Transportation: Survey
of State Transit Funding. Retrieved from http://scopt.transportation.org/Documents/SSFP-10-
UL.pdf
American Public Transportation Association. (2013). Millennials & Mobility. Retrieved from
http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/APTA-Millennials-and-
Mobility.pdf
Federal Transit Administration. (2016). Grant Programs. Retrieved from
https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/grant-programs
Georgia Division of Aging Services. (2012). Just the Facts. Retrieved from
http://dhs.georgia.gov/sites/dhs.georgia.gov/files/Just%20the%20Facts%202012.pdf
Georgia Department of Transportation. (2016). Transit Map. : Author.
Georgia Regional Transportation Authority. (2014). 2014 RHST Report. Retrieved from
http://www.grta.org/core-business/rural-and-human-services-transportation/
National Transit Database. (2014). NTD Transit Agency Profiles. Retrieved from
https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd/transit-agency-profiles