| Founded | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Athens, Georgia |
| 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] |
| Web site | http://www.athenstransit.com |
Athens Transit is a public bus system in Athens, Georgia. The system was started in 1976, and today 18 routes operate throughout the city. The standard fare is $1.50. 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]
Daytime service is approximately from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm, nighttime service is approximately from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm, hours vary by route.
| # | name | Mon-Fri day | Mon-Fri night | Saturday day | Saturday night |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Ave. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2 | East Athens | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | East Athens-Northside | Yes | No (use route 2) | No (use route 2) | No (use route 2) |
| 5 | Beechwood/Baxter St. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 6 | Broad St.-Atlanta Hwy. | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (use route 20) |
| 7 | Prince Ave. | Yes | No (use route 5) | No (use route 5) | No (use route 5) |
| 8 | Barber St./Chase St. | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 9 | Macon Hwy./Five Points | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 12 | Riverbend Pkwy. | Yes | No (use UGA East-West) | No (use UGA Weekender) | No (use UGA Weekender) |
| 14 | East Campus Rd./Milledge Ave. | Yes | No (use UGA Family Housing) | No (use UGA Weekender) | No (use UGA Weekender) |
| 20 | Georgia Square Mall | Yes | Yes* | Yes | Yes* |
| 21 | West Athens/Ultimate Dr. | Yes | No (use route 20) | No (use route 20) | No (use route 20) |
| 22 | East Athens/Highland Park Dr. | Yes | No (use route 25) | No (use route 25) | No (use route 25) |
| 24 | Athens Tech | Yes | No (use route 1) | No | No |
| 25 | Lexington Rd./Gaines School Rd. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 26 | College Station Rd./Barnett Shoals Rd. | Yes | No (use route 25) | No (use route 25) | No (use route 25) |
| 27 | Barnett Shoals Rd./Cedar Shoals Dr. | Yes | No (use route 25) | No (use route 25) | No (use route 25) |
| 28 | College Station - Campus Express | Yes | No | No | No |
*Night route 20: buses do not go to the mall after 9:05 pm, only as far as Epps Bridge Parkway.
Service frequencies: Routes run once every 60 minutes, except routes 12 (every 15–20 minutes), 14 (every 25 minutes), and 28 (every 35 minutes). During afternoon peak hours route 5 runs every 30 minutes. However, some streets are served by multiple similar routes (such as 2 and 3, or 20 and 21) and thus are served twice each hour or more.