| Ride Gwinnett | |
| Founded: | 2000 |
| Headquarters: | 466 West Crogan St, Suite 410 Lawrenceville, GA 30046 |
| Service Area: | Gwinnett County |
| Service Type: | Local, Paratransit, Micro/Dial-a-Ride and Express Bus Routes |
| Routes: | 12 |
| Hubs: | Gwinnett Place Transit Center Indian Trail Park & Ride I-985 Park & Ride Sugarloaf Mills Park & Ride |
| Stations: | Doraville station Indian Creek station |
| Fleet: | (43) MCI D4500, (38) Gillig Low Floor, Ford Transit Connect Vans |
| Ridership: | About 5000 rides per day in 2016 |
| Fuel Type: | Diesel |
| Operator: | Transdev |
| Website: | http://www.ridegwinnett.com/ |
Ride Gwinnett (formerly known as Gwinnett County Transit or GCT prior to 2023) is the bus public transit system in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States, one of metro Atlanta's three most populous suburban counties. It was formed in 2000, with express buses starting in November 2001 and local buses in November 2002.
Routes connect to the most populated areas of the county, including Norcross and Lawrenceville. With the assistance of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA), express services are available to Atlanta, connecting with MARTA at the Doraville, Civic Center, and Five Points stations. Transfers are free between MARTA and Ride Gwinnett, with use of a Breeze card or ticket.[1]
Along with Cobb, Gwinnett voted against MARTA in 1971 and thus was left out of a system.[2] The lack of sales tax revenue from the two counties stunted the growth of MARTA; however, GRTA, created by former Governor of Georgia Roy Barnes, has been seeking to create other solutions, such as transit for the entire Atlanta and surrounding areas. The Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District (GPCID) along with MARTA are seeking alternative, such as light rail to Gwinnett through the Gwinnett Place area.
Ride Gwinnett allows payment via Breeze cards, tickets & passes, the Breeze Mobile 2.0 app, cash/card with fareboxes equipped on all buses, and the Ride Gwinnett app for paratransit users.
In 2015, Ride Gwinnett was investigated by local news for overcharging some patrons of the GRTA Xpress bus routes when using Breeze cards to pay transit fares. GRTA has acknowledged the issue in a few printed handbills advising patrons to purchase multiple Breeze cards (one for each type of bus or rail fare) to pay transit fares and record transfers between the GRTA, CobbLinc, and MARTA transit systems.[3] [4]
In 2016, Ride Gwinnett started a new express route, 110, that serviced the Indian Trail Park and Ride area to the Emory/CDC employment center. Some service was expanded to Sugarloaf Park and Ride Lot in May 2017.
In September 2018, MARTA's board of directors and the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners gave conditional approval to an agreement which would see the county to contract with MARTA for the operations of the service. This included county designed and built projects, significantly expanding bus service in the county and clear the way for a long-sought-after extension of MARTA's rail system into the county from its current terminus at Doraville. The contract with MARTA would go into effect only if a public vote, scheduled for March 2019, succeeds. The agreement calls for a new one-cent sales tax that would be collected in Gwinnett County until 2057.[5] The transit referendum failed on March 19, 2019.[6]
In July 2020, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners called for another transit referendum, this time through the House Bill 930/ATL mechanism. Projects would have been designed, built and operated all by Gwinnett County. The referendum failed on the November ballot with a final vote total of 198,514 for yes and 199,527 voting no.
In January 2023, Gwinnett County Transit officially changed its name to Ride Gwinnett.[7]
In September 2023, Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a new Transit Plan which focused heavily on microtransit zones, simpler local routes, and direct airport rides. This plan notably does not include any rail components or MARTA expansion into the county. [8]
On June 4, 2024, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners approved, 4-1, another transit referendum to be placed on the ballot for the November 5, 2024 General Election. It would impose a one percent sales tax for 30 years, funding up to 75 projects from the 2023 Transit Plan, and would shift all existing operational expenses off of property taxes onto the new sales tax.[9] The referendum failed to pass 47-53%.[10]
Ride Gwinnett has 9 local bus routes. The Gwinnett Place Mall Transit Center Hub houses the transfer point for local routes; 10A/10B, 30, and 40. Gwinnett County Transit has 5 express bus routes. The express routes are 101, 102, 103, and 110. There is also a reverse commute route 103A, which are used by reverse commuters on the AM and PM trips.