Assuming the county chooses to move forward with an MSPLOST referendum that includes a dedicated transit funding source, several key questions emerge including:

• Should the county focus on enhancing, improving and possibly expanding the transit service we already have?
• How important are connections to surrounding counties not currently accessed by the transit system?
• Should the county invest in new technology (heavy rail) with a focus on moving more people between Cobb County and the City of Atlanta (e.g., establishing a heavy rail line from Cumberland Transfer Center to Atlanta/MARTA)?
• Should the county focus on providing some sort of transit service to all portions of the county, regardless of the type?

Three scenarios were developed to help residents visualize the investment options based on data and public input from the 2021 Comprehensive Transportation Plan Update (in progress).

Scenario 1: Coverage Investment

• Focuses on investments to expand the local fixed-route service we already have with connections to surrounding counties (new routes in Cumberland, South Cobb, East Cobb)
• Emphasis on providing some type of transit service to largest portion of county
• Limited investments in improving reliability, on-time performance and increased capacity along existing routes via new “rubber tire vehicle” service modes (ART & BRT)
• Expands on-demand service

Tradeoffs:

• No heavy rail
• Less BRT (capacity & reliability) and less ART (capacity) along existing routes

Scenario 2: Balanced Investment

• Focus on making the most of what we already have with more investments in new “rubber-tire vehicle” transit modes (ART & BRT)
• Includes expanding local fixed-route service with connections to surrounding counties
• Emphasis on improved reliability, on-time performance and increased capacity along existing routes
• Includes some new local fixed-route service
• Expands on-demand service

Tradeoffs:

• No heavy rail
• Less expanded local route service in Cumberland and South Cobb

Scenario 3: Productivity Investment

• Focus on investing in new transit technology (heavy rail) via heavy rail line from the Cumberland Transfer Center to Atlanta/MARTA
• Emphasis on increased transit capacity to and from Atlanta

Tradeoffs:

• No expanded on-demand service
• Minimal investments in improving reliability, on-time performance and increased capacity along existing routes via new “rubber tire vehicle” service modes (ART & BRT)
• Limited local route service expansion (South Cobb only)