Buckhead to welcome Atlanta’s first ‘microtransit’ system

Efforts to boost last-mile connectivity in Atlanta (and to profit from it) have been all the rage the past few years.

Most conversations about new mobility systems, however, have centered around e-scooters and other dockless devices.

But in the near future, Buckhead is set to introduce the city’s first “microtransit” system, thanks to efforts by the Buckhead Community Improvement District.

Simply put, microtransit is “on-demand transportation for everyone,” according to transportation and tech blog Ecolane.

In Buckhead, the model will be similar to Uber and Lyft: Users will download an app that allows them to hail a ride, “and within minutes, a Mercedes 12-passenger Sprinter van arrives to pick them up and take them to their destination,” according to a Livable Buckhead press release.

The service will be available within the CID boundaries, which span from Buckhead Village to Piedmont Center and across Ga. Highway 400 to the Lenox MARTA station.

The best part: “The buc” microtransit system will offer free transportation to commuters coming to, or leaving, one of Buckhead’s two MARTA stations during morning and evening rush hours.

And for a “small fee,” riders can take the shuttles to other destinations within the CID, per Livable Buckhead.

The Buckhead CID has inked a one-year, $607,000 contract with mobility provider Via, which will supply the mobile app to link passengers all headed in the same direction.

Officials are still ironing out the exact details of the service’s routes and schedules.