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Airport West CID reports microtransit pilot at capacity; council appoints Courtney Bennis to CID board
Summary
Gerald McDowell of the ATL Airport West CIDs told East Point Council the microtransit pilot, funded with $2.6 million from the Atlanta-region transit authority with a 30% CID match, launched in the last 45 days and is already near capacity. Council appointed Courtney Bennis as the city—s representative to the Airport West CID board.
Gerald McDowell, CEO of the ATL Airport West Community Improvement Districts, updated the East Point City Council on Oct. 6 about a set of mobility projects and a board appointment.
McDowell said a microtransit pilot funded by a $2.6 million grant from the Atlanta Region Transit Link Authority launched roughly 45 days earlier and is operating with five vehicles. The CID put a 30% local match into the grant; McDowell said demand exceeded initial projections and the pilot is already at or near capacity.
“After 45 days, we are already at capacity,” McDowell told council. He said the program operates free to riders during the pilot, picks up riders through an app within about five minutes, and is intended to connect employees and residents to jobs and transit nodes. He described a three-phase roll-out: phase 1 covers the area immediately around Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and adjacent employment centers; phases 2 and 3 would enlarge the service area geographically and increase vehicle counts, which McDowell estimated could rise from five now to perhaps eight to 10 vehicles when fully phased.
McDowell also described a separate demonstration project tied to an $18 million demonstration mobility project at the Georgia International Convention Center, of which the CIDs expect to contribute $10 million and partners $8 million. He said the CIDs are planning an RFP for autonomous shuttle service to serve multiple sites; two of the three potential sites under consideration would be in East Point city limits, including a route to the East Point MARTA station.
Council then considered the appointment of Courtney Bennis as East Point—s representative on the Airport West CID board. Councilman Martin Rogers moved to appoint Courtney Bennis; the motion was seconded and passed on a council roll call. The motion carried and McDowell said he would return for further updates as the RFP and demonstration projects move forward.
Ending — Council approved the appointment and invited the CID to return with updates as microtransit phases expand and the autonomous-shuttle RFP is prepared. McDowell said CID staff will work with East Point to coordinate outreach to residents and employers when pilot expansion funding becomes available.
