GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — VCole Thomas stands out, from the way they spell their name, to their bright green hair, to their positive outlook on life. 11Alive caught up with VCole as they were heading home from work, and on Friday, they decided to take the bus.
"It depends on the condition of my car at any point in time," VCole said. "I have a 10-year-old car, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't."
VCole said they use Gwinnett transit about a quarter of the time, and rather than spend $30 on a rideshare app, they pay a couple of dollars to ride the bus.
"Given what folks are paying for food and rent and gas and all the other things, this is just a little lift, a little break that we can all use," VCole said.
Gwinnett transit could expand soon. China Thomas, the director of transit capital improvement projects with the Gwinnett County Department of Transportation, said the county began work on hammering out a new transit plan in 2022. It took feedback from riders and factored in the potential for 500,000 people to move to Gwinnett by 2050.
"We looked at what our existing conditions were, understanding where the population growth is happening, looking at age, employment, car ownership," China said. “They want to see service delivered quickly while we start working on some of our more high-capacity premium style services.”
The proposed transit plan would cost about $17 billion, China said, and it would feature more direct routes, expanded local rideshare service, better connection to other transit options like MARTA and overall quicker service.
"We're looking at items such as dedicated lines for our rapid ride system," China said. "For the quick ride system, looking at innovations such as transit signal priority and queue jumps to really help vehicles stay on time, on schedule. We have to have things in place so residents can live, work and play in the county in which they live.”
China added a combination of federal, state and local funds would pay for the project if given the green light. With the passing of the federal infrastructure law, China is hopeful there may be grants given to Gwinnett County to open more avenues to fund the proposed transit expansion plan.
VCole said it would be okay to pay a little more in taxes, as long as all roads and benefits lead back to those who need them most.
"It sounds like a short-term ouch for a long-term benefit," VCole said. "The expansion should cover areas with the most jobs, in neighborhoods where there's the most lack and inequity."
Gwinnett has had a history of turning down transportation expansion plans. In 2020 and by a slim margin, voters rejected a 30-year 1% sales tax to fund an expansion of public transportation.
The current proposed plan for transit expansion will head to the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners to be voted on Tuesday, September 19.