Xpress to Offer Fare-Free Introductory Period for New Hickory Grove Park & Ride Lot Routes from May 3 – September 1, 2021 Fare-Free Promotion For Xpress Routes 484 and 485 Customers Only

For Immediate Release:
April 30, 2021

Xpress to Offer Fare-Free Introductory Period for New Hickory
Grove Park & Ride Lot Routes from May 3 – September 1, 2021
Fare-Free Promotion For Xpress Routes 484 and 485 Customers Only

ATLANTA — Xpress commuter transit service will be offering a fare-free introductory period for
Xpress Routes 484 and 485 with the opening of its new Hickory Grove Park & Ride Lot located
at 2018 Hickory Grove Road NW, Acworth, GA 30102. The new lot and routes will service Bartow,
Cherokee and Cobb Counties beginning Monday, May 3, 2021. The fare-free introductory period
will begin with the first day of service and continue until September 1, 2021.

“We are so excited to launch our new routes and be able to provide our riders with a chance to
try the system fare- free for four months,” said Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority Executive
Director Chris Tomlinson. “We hope that it encourages more community members in Bartow,
Cherokee and Cobb to utilize the excellent service we provide reducing reliance on personal cars
while reducing traffic over the summer”.

The fare-free promotion will open access to more passengers and attract and engage new riders
who might not otherwise choose public transit as a means of mobility. The agency hopes that the
promotion will also result in long term ridership increases.
From April 2020 to August 2020, Xpress suspended fare collection for customers on all its
existing routes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xpress operates 27 routes in 12 metro Atlanta counties that carry more than 1.8 million
passenger trips annually to and from major employment centers in Downtown, Midtown, and
Perimeter Center. Xpress riders are also able to take advantage of riding in the Express Lanes
for free.

About the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority
The ATL was created by the Georgia General Assembly during the 2018 legislative session to
provide coordinated transit planning and funding for the metro Atlanta region. The ATL is
responsible for developing the ATL Regional Transit Plan, as well as identifying and prioritizing
the projects and initiatives required to develop region-wide transit. The ATL is also charged with
creating a unified regional transit system brand. unified regional transit system brand. Effective
July 1, 2020, the ATL was legislatively authorized to oversee the state’s Xpress regional commuter transit system and the Atlanta region’s vanpool system. The population of metro
Atlanta is growing rapidly and projected to add an additional 2.5 million residents by 2040. The
ATL is a critical step towards more efficient and effective transit and mobility in the region. For
more information on Xpress and the ATL, visit https://atltransit.wpengine.com/ and follow us on
Twitter and Facebook.

About the Xpress Transit System
The Xpress regional commuter transit system is operated by the Atlanta-Region Transit Link
Authority (ATL). The ATL was created by the Georgia General Assembly during the 2018
legislative session to provide coordinated transit planning and funding for the metro Atlanta
region. The ATL is responsible for developing the ATL Regional Transit Plan, as well as
identifying and prioritizing the projects and initiatives required to develop region-wide transit.
The ATL is also charged with creating a unified regional transit system brand. Effective July 1,
2020, the ATL was legislatively authorized to oversee the state’s Xpress regional commuter
transit system and the Atlanta region’s vanpool system. The population of metro Atlanta is
growing rapidly and projected to add an additional 2.5 million residents by 2040. The ATL is a
critical step towards more efficient and effective transit and mobility in the region. For more
information on Xpress and the ATL, visit https://atltransit.wpengine.com/ and follow us on Twitter and
Facebook.

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