Athens Transit
 | |
| Founded | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Athens, Georgia, United States |
| Service area | Athens-Clarke County |
| Service type |
Fixed-Route ("The Bus") On-Demand Paratransit ("The Lift") |
| Routes | 18 |
| Stops | 500 [1] |
| Hubs |
Athens Multi-Modal Transportation Center (primary) Georgia Square Mall North Ave. Piggly Wiggly |
| Lounge | Athens Multi-Modal Transportation Center |
| Daily ridership | 6,905 during UGA school year, 4,291 May–July[2] |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Operator | Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County[3] |
| Unified City/County Government | Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County[3] |
| Website | http://www.athenstransit.com |
Athens Transit is a public bus system in Athens, Georgia, United States. The system was started in 1976, and today 18 routes operate throughout the city. The standard fare is $1.75. University of Georgia students, faculty, and staff and Piedmont College students ride fare-free with a valid I.D. However, in the case of UGA, part of the student transportation fee goes to Athens Transit as reimbursement for each ride taken. Most bus routes have the buses stop at a given location once per hour during operating hours.
Most routes are designed as loops, with outbound buses on a given route not returning on the same streets. This can prove confusing, but major streets generally have two routes serving them: one outbound, and one inbound. Most routes terminate at the Athens Multi-Modal Transportation Center, which was built in 2006 on a brownfield near the North Oconee River. The Multi-Modal Center was a winner of the 2007 Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture award from the American Institute of Steel Construction, and it is designed to accommodate a future "Brain Train" to Atlanta.[4]
Athens Transit and UGA Campus Transit buses were part of an early trial of biodiesel fuel during the 1996 Olympics.[5]