Xpress Ridership Continues to Increase

The Hebron Baptist Church Park and Ride and the Hamilton Mill Park and Ride continue to draw new riders according to the latest figures released by the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA).

The Hebron Baptist Church Park and Ride opened in June of 2011. After a year in operation, Route 416 to downtown Atlanta was averaging 176 boardings per day. Last month, the average was 194 boardings per day. 


A boarding is recorded as each time a rider gets on the coach. Most riders will count as two boardings a day -- one in the morning and one in the afternoon. 

Overall ridership figures for Route 416 have increased from an average of 3,778 boardings per month in the third quarter of 2012 to 4,049 in the second quarter of 2013.

The Hamilton Mill Park and Ride has shown a similar increase in ridership. Two routes operate out of the Hamilton Mill location -- Route 413 to downtown and Route 411 to midtown.

When the Hamilton Mill Park and Ride opened in August of 2011, Route 413 had 100 boardings during its best day. By April of 2012, the route averaged 171 boardings a day. In August of this year, there were an average of 217 boardings per day.

Route 411, which also stops at the Mall of Georgia, is the most heavily used route. In April of 2011, the route averaged 299 boardings a day. Last month, the route averaged 399 boardings each day of operation.

Over the past four quarters of operation, ridership for Route 411 has increased from a monthly average of 7,344 to 7,737 and Route 413 has grown from a 3,864 monthly average to 4,352 boardings a month.

Both park and ride facilities are part of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Congestion Reduction Demonstration program. 

The cost to ride the Xpress bus is $4 (cash only) for a one-way trip (all three routes are Blue Zone fare routes). A round trip (cash only) is $7, a 10-trip (one way) pass is $35 and a 31-day pass is $125.

For more information on routes and fares, visit the Xpress website.

Have you used the Xpress service from the Hamilton Mill or Dacula Park and Ride lots? What are your thoughts about the service? Let us know in the comments.