The Suwannee Valley Transit Authority offered low-cost public transportation for seven months with bus trolleys before they stopped running in early 2016 due to low ridership.

VALDOSTA — Dick Bryant is 83 years old, lives in the small north Florida town of Live Oak, a few miles south of the Georgia state line, owns two cars that don’t run and depends on public transportation to get to and from kidney dialysis. 

“I’m on Social Security and I don’t know if I could afford to pay for transportation,” Bryant said. “I don’t know what I would do. I don’t even want to think about it.”

Thousands of people throughout Georgia and north Florida, in the SunLight Project coverage area, find themselves in the same situation. 

Millions of Americans pack into buses, subways, trains and shuttles each day in major cities and pay a few dollars to journey back and forth from work, play and home.

The transports form mini bubbles of humanity — people read, sleep, eat, cry, dance and sing as they kill time from point A to point B. That temporary grouping of strangers is normal in larger cities, where public transportation is more common than driving a car for many people.

But what about smaller towns that aren’t the Atlantas or New Yorks or Chicagos of the nation? What is the need and demand for public transportation in cities with smaller, more rural populations?

In the SunLight coverage area — Live Oak, Jasper and Mayo, Fla., along with Valdosta, Dalton, Tifton, Thomasville and Milledgeville, Ga., and the surrounding counties — a look at public transportation yields a mixed bag.

Few offer a government-run public transit system and several communities rely on local businesses — such as taxi cabs and private shuttle services — to give residents a lift. Even counties with a transit system only offer limited, on-demand bus rides and not continuous routes.

Throughout the region, it’s clear that public transportation is needed to some degree everywhere, whether for a Thomasville woman who doesn’t know how to drive, or a Live Oak man who needs rides to dialysis, or a Dalton college student who can’t afford a car.

Many communities have a need for public transportation but not enough demand to support a full-blown transit system.

Governments aren’t out to make profits but any form of public transportation has to pay for itself, which is usually done through a combination of rider fees and state or federal funding. If not enough residents will use the service, it is not economically feasible for a city or county to provide it, which is the case in many places, according to information gathered in the SunLight region.

Though found everywhere in some form or fashion, public transportation is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor, and government leaders are tasked with seeking solutions that fit the unique needs — and budgets — of their communities.

A Disinterested Public

North Florida’s Suwannee, Hamilton and Lafayette counties do not have public transportation but it’s not because no one’s tried.

There was an attempt to bring a bus system to Suwannee, Hamilton and Columbia in late 2015, but it failed after seven months, said Larry Sessions, Suwannee Valley Transit Authority administrator.

Sessions said the buses in Suwannee did a loop from Live Oak to a Walmart near the interstate, stopping at most businesses, trailer parks and apartment complexes along the way. Driving the loop would take about an hour and a half. It cost $1 to get a ride, and an average of 13 people would use the service a day.

Sessions tried starting a public-transit system in Live Oak because it is compact, close to the SVTA headquarters and feasible if people used it.

“I ran it for seven months and it was not a profitable situation,” Sessions said. “I thought it was a fantastic thing but the public is just not interested.”

A key reason the buses failed is the lack of bus stops. Sessions said Live Oak isn’t set up for bus stops, and the Department of Transportation has to create the bus stops.

To have bus stops and be safe, he said, a city needs curb cuts that allow buses to pull off the road to avoid being rear-ended.

“We do not have the money to do that,” Sessions said. “That’s not going to happen until the DOT gets involved and spends a lot of money.”

Although not a full transit system, SVTA does run a senior program that takes people to their dialysis, doctor appointments and senior centers. It also picks up students from a private academy. 

Bryant is a regular SVTA rider and heavily dependent on the bus system. He hates driving, owns two cars that don’t work and needs dialysis three days a week. He is completely reliant on SVTA to get to his treatments.

The Money Issue

Counties with public-transit systems have had varying levels of success in getting the programs to break even on cost.

Baldwin County officials said it’s becoming more difficult to fund the county’s public-transit system because it costs more to operate than the amounts collected from riders using the service.

Such a system, which has been operational throughout Milledgeville and Baldwin County for the past several years, provides transportation to people for whatever reason within the county.

People who ride in one of the two vans funded by the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners are charged $2.

Commission Chairman Sammy Hall said the big problem is the public-transit system doesn’t pay for itself.

“It’s a serious problem,” Hall said. “You’ve heard my speech to other county commissioners at meetings about how expensive it is, and how inefficient the current system is.”

Hall said rides cost $10.

“The riders pay $2 and the county subsidizes the other $8. And that is outrageously high,” Hall said.

Unlike some public-transit operations in other surrounding counties, the two vans operating in Milledgeville and Baldwin County do not venture outside of the county.

County officials are working to better coordinate the transportation services and improve communication with people eligible for special transportation services, such as Medicaid and Medicare patients.

“We need some coordination and cooperation in being able to work together with our buses and other state agency buses,” Hall said. “If we could get more vans, it would bring our costs down and make it more efficient, but we also need a better way to make sure people understand that that service is available to them.”

The Thomas County Area Transit System — which has been around since 2002 and is the only form of public transit in the county — doesn’t have a problem with funding.

But local tax dollars do not pay for the service. State and federal funds do.

First run by a third-party operator, the Thomas County Commission took over TCATS in 2006.

The system operates 16 vehicles a day, and the fee is only $1 for a one-way trip up to four miles and $3 for five to 10 miles. Seniors pay half the rate.

On a good day, the system makes 80 to 100 trips. And about 130 trips daily when passengers receive government assistance, allowing the elderly to get out more.

Thomasteen Goins, a regular TCATS passenger, said she would be lost without the service.

Goins, 76, does not drive. She attempted to learn, but “injured” the car and her residence in the process.

TCATS allows Goins to visit the doctor’s office, pay bills and go grocery shopping.

Lowndes County has had a rural transit system since 2001, but funding for the program has become complicated.

The county contracts with a third-party operator (MIDS Inc.) to give rides to county residents for $3 a trip (one way). The county has to provide a 10 percent match for all program expenses, which is about $10,000-15,000 a year. The rest of the funding comes from federal dollars allocated through the Georgia Department of Transportation.

The program once had routes but demand was too low to keep them, according to county officials. So now the buses operate on-demand for anyone in the county, in addition to transporting Medicare and Medicaid patients through Department of Health Services contracts.

The demand for the system has annually grown but since it is a “rural transit” system, rides have to start or end in rural areas. An area is designated as “urban” or “rural” based on its population density, not city limit boundaries.

Therefore, areas may be a significant distance from Valdosta, the county’s biggest city, but still be considered urban. The problem is 75 percent of the residents who use the system are requesting “urban to urban” rides, even though the state does not fund such trips.

Instead of cutting off all those riders, the county decided to pay for the urban trips out of its budget for Fiscal Year 2015-16, which amounted to about $40,000.

Lowndes County Commission Chairman Bill Slaughter said continuing to pay for the urban rides next year would cost even more and the county budget simply does not have room for the expense.

He said his hope is Valdosta will implement a program to serve urban residents in the coming year so access to public transit won’t disappear.

Studies upon Studies

In Dalton, Interstate 75 separates the campus of Dalton State College from most of the city, with the nearest supermarket almost two miles away and downtown Dalton about four miles away.

And with the city having no public transportation, the campus can seem isolated.

“It was quite an adjustment,” said Quadry Hollomon, a sophomore who lives on campus and who doesn’t have a car. “Living in Atlanta, I can take MARTA anywhere I want to go. The campus here isn’t huge.

“I can walk to anywhere on campus I need, and if we have any events off campus, I’m sure the school would provide shuttle service. But if I need to go to Walmart, I have to rely on friends who have cars.”

That usually requires some planning in advance. Any last-minute trips can be challenging.

“I just start calling the contacts in my phone, both people who live on campus and off campus, who have cars,” he said. “If everyone is too busy or just can’t give me a ride, and if it’s too far to walk, then I’m out of luck.”

During the past 20 years, the city of Dalton and the Greater Dalton Metropolitan Planning Organization have conducted at least four studies looking at the feasibility of public transportation in the city.

The most recent study, conducted in 2011, drew hundreds of people to public meetings to discuss the idea.

The study, like others before it, concluded there is a demand for public transportation in Dalton. But it also found the city’s population density wasn’t great enough to make a regular bus service economically feasible.

Mayor Dennis Mock said he doesn’t think conditions have changed since the last study.

“The financial numbers just don’t work,” he said.

Dalton residents can take advantage of the Whitfield County Transit Service. The service operates from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays with 10 full-time buses.

Shuttle buses pick up riders at their homes and take them to their destinations. Round trips are $4 each. Rides must be booked 48 hours in advance.

The service booked 38,100 trips in 2016. The service has a 2017 budget of $857,317. Federal grants for rural transportation services cover 40 percent of operating costs.

Contracts to provide services to Georgia Department of Human Services and Medicaid riders are expected to bring in some $210,000, and fares will bring in another $35,000.

Remaining funding will come from the county general fund.

While the cost and need to schedule rides so far in advance likely limits riders, people who use the transit service give it high marks.

Brad Jones is legally blind and hasn’t driven for years. He said he uses the transit service to go to Hamilton Medical Center, where he volunteers.

“It’s great. I don’t have any complaints,” he said.

Dalton also has 15 licensed taxi companies.

Dalton Mayor Mock said with public transportation off the table for the foreseeable future, he would like to find ways for the city to encourage private efforts to solve the city’s transportation issues.

He points to a shuttle service established by downtown businesses, local hotels and the Dalton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. The shuttle carries Interstate 75 area hotel and motel guests to downtown Dalton free of charge.

Shuttle operators recently extended the service to Dalton State College campus housing on weekends to encourage more students to come downtown.

“That’s the kind of thing we can build on,” Mock said.

Valdosta, like Dalton, doesn’t have a public transportation system, but has been toying with the idea for years. Several studies have been done, and the city even carried out a pilot shuttle program last year to see the demand.

Recent studies show a public-transit system is feasible for Valdosta at this time, said Corey Hull with the Southern Georgia Regional Commission. But are city leaders ready to make the jump?

Also in the same vein as Dalton, Valdosta leaders are looking to the private sector to fill the need for public transit. The city already has two taxi services — 244 Taxi and Tipsy Transit — as well as a bus system for Valdosta State University Students.

But the city just announced Uber will be coming to Valdosta, an addition that officials say is a great solution to the city’s current public-transportation needs.

“While it may not be economically feasible to implement a large-scale public transit system at this time, we feel there are other options we can explore, such as the personal transportation services provided by Uber to complement other transportation services already in place in Valdosta,” Valdosta Mayor John Gayle said.

“(Uber) won’t be a fix-all for everyone’s needs, but it is certainly a good beginning.”

Valdosta already has access to about $1 million of annual state funding for a full public-transit system, but both the city and county want to make sure any system put in place has a good chance of success.

“Much goes into making an informed decision to implement an urban transit system for our community,” Gayle said. “In any case, this is a long-term and costly project that the county and city leadership need to ensure is overall economically beneficial for our community.”

Lowndes Commission Chairman Slaughter isn’t convinced Valdosta actually has a substantial need for a full transit system. He’s not sure the system could pay for itself, a problem the government definitely wants to avoid.

“We’re not Atlanta. We don’t have a congestion problem in the City of Valdosta, for example, that drives the need for public transit,” Slaughter said.

“We’re not at the point in our community to where a full-blown public transit system, with routes and stops all through town, (is needed). There’s not a need because we don’t have the congestion for it, and then there’s not a demand for it because we don’t have enough riders.”

Lowndes County Clerk Paige Dukes said building just a hub for a local public transit system would cost at least $1 million, and government leaders have to consider other expenses, such as road resurfacing.

“I don’t think you can talk about public transportation without looking at our community’s transportation needs as a whole,” Dukes said.

County officials said while they don’t get many calls asking for public transportation, they do hear from residents about potholes and requests for road maintenance.

“That’s a priority for citizens over (public transportation),” Dukes said.

Tifton is another city where leaders aren’t sure if public transit is necessary or feasible at this point.

“I really can’t comment if there’s a specific need in public transit, but if you look at our region, I think it’s one of those important facets that you need to program,” City Manager Pete Pyrzenski said.

Pyrzenski said many organizations, such as the YMCA and the senior citizen center, provide transportation for the population they serve.

“I see the outreach here, but organized public transportation is somewhat difficult, and when you talk about fuel being $4 or $5 a gallon versus what it is today, again you have to (ask), is it a sound investment?” Pyrzenski said.

“I think it’s something we need to work on, to see where the needs might be and work on putting something together long range.

“Day to day, if people can’t go to the grocery store, or it’s not pedestrian-friendly or there’s no bike paths, or there’s no avenues to make that available, then I think as local governments, it’s part of our responsibility to work with local agencies to see where the greatest needs might be, then put together a plan.”

Pyrzenski floated the idea of a shuttle rather than a bus route. Shuttles go between specific places rather than running a circuitous route.

“You really have to study who needs transportation, where do they need it to, and you come up with some kind of plan to meet that.”

The Tift Lift Transit, which already operates in Tifton, is a cross between a shuttle and a taxi. It charges a small fee, no more than $5, and can be called when needed.

Pyrzenski does not feel an Uber-like service would do well in Tifton because “the ingredients (aren’t) here for that type of transportation source yet.”

However, he is not opposed to such a service.

“There may be a need for that; it would be worth asking the question,” he said.

The Power of Mobility

The bottom line for many city and county leaders is, what level of public transportation is needed to properly serve local residents?

Moultrie City Manager Pete Dillard knows firsthand the positive impact a transit service can make in a resident’s life.

When his elderly mom moved to the city, transportation was an issue, until the family discovered for themselves the efficiency of bus service provided by an Albany company.

“My 90-year-old mother rides it every day,” he said. “Three days a week to dialysis, two days to the YMCA for aerobics.”

For Fiscal Year 2015-16, Destiny Tours & Shuttle Service Inc. made 34,966 total trips in Colquitt County, according to the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission, which contracts with various companies to provide the service throughout the region.

Of those, 23,729 were for the state’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, 2,796 for aging population, and another 393 for the Department of Family and Children Services. The three services are funded by the Georgia Department of Human Services for riders who meet eligibility requirements.

Rides to the public for work and other purposes totaled 8,048.

Destiny has 10 buses running in Moultrie, operating from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Rides of 10 miles or less cost $3 each way for riders younger than 60. People older than 60 pay half the amount.

For longer rides the rates are $5 plus 50 cents for each mile above 10.

For Dillard, it was a well-kept secret, until his family needed it.

“I would not have known about it if my mother had not needed to use it,” he said. “My wife is out of town every day. I’m tied up every day. It’s a lifesaver for me.

“I think if people knew what a wonderful job they do, I think they will get more business. (My mom) thinks the world of them.”

Transportation Services in Lowndes County

Lowndes County Transit

229-316-2153

Rides on-demand anywhere in the county for any resident

Starting Rate: $3 for a one-way trip

244-Taxi

229-244-8294

24/7 taxi service to anywhere, even out of county or state

Starting Rate: $3 pickup, additional $2.50 for each mile

Tipsy Transit

229-254-1448

Bus rentals and taxi service to anywhere, even out of county or state

Hours are noon-3 a.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-4 a.m. Friday and Saturday

Starting rate for buses: $5 per person one way, $7 round trip

Starting rate for taxis: $6 pickup, additional $1.50-2 for each mile

Checker Cab Company of Valdosta*

229-245-2505

24/7 taxi service

Starting rate: $3 pickup, $2.50 per mile

Five Star Taxi*

229-563-8800

24/7 taxi service

Starting rate: $3 pickup, $2.50 per mile

*Note: Five Star Taxi and Checker Cab Company of Valdosta were mistakenly left off the list of local transportation options that ran with the above story in the Sunday, Feb. 26, edition.