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Cobb and Gwinnett commuters now have a new way to get to one of metro Atlanta’s largest office districts.
The State Road and Tollway Authority has launched two new Xpress bus routes headed to Perimeter Center.
Matt Markham with the State Road and Tollway Authority said it’s doubling service because demand for service to the Perimeter area is going up.
“It’s a different territory than some of our traditional routes in downtown or Midtown that may have more stops and sort of a longer range, but the idea for us is we wanted to hit key locations,” Markham said.
In Cobb County, the Xpress bus leaves from the Town Center (Big Shanty) park and ride lot and in Gwinnett County from the Sugarloaf Mills park and ride lot.
“Perimeter Center is one of the largest and fastest-growing job centers in metro Atlanta,” Markham said. “Especially with the construction on the interchange at I-285 and Georgia 400, there’s a lot of need for options for commuters traveling in that corridor.”
Both buses operate during rush hours. They each make just three stops along the way at MARTA train stations.
SRTA estimates Xpress Bus Route 417 from Gwinnett would take about 50 minutes in the morning and around an hour in the afternoon, while Route 482 from Town Center (Big Shanty) would take about 50 minutes in the morning and around an hour and a half in the afternoon.
About 100 to 150 people use the existing routes from Cumming and Conyers to Perimeter Center.
The buses are free to ride through Aug. 14.
This is the first time SRTA has added a new Xpress bus route since 2011.