Buc Celebrates Six Months
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Buckhead’s Free Shuttle Simplifies Routes, Optimizes Service for Commuters
Changes to take effect July 1
ATLANTA (June 7, 2012) – Beginning July 1, Buckhead’s free shuttle, the buc, is changing its routes and schedules. These changes are designed to increase service frequency during the peak hours of use – weekday morning and afternoon rush hours – by eliminating lunch hour and Saturday service. Routes will also be simplified, with one primary route connecting MARTA rail stations and major employment locations along Peachtree, Piedmont and Lenox Roads.
“The buc was launched nearly a decade ago, and it has provided a valuable service for Buckhead commuters, shoppers, visitors and residents,” said Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead and the Buckhead Transportation Management Association (BATMA), which manages the buc. “But the time had come for us to take a look at the system and make sure that it was optimized to cost-effectively provide the best possible service for our core riders – our commuters.”
A 2011 study identified several changes that would increase productivity of the system and provide more frequent service to commuters along the shuttle’s primary route. BATMA and the Buckhead Community Improvement District reviewed the study’s recommendations and will implement the following changes to the buc, effective July 1:
- The shuttle’s Blue, Green and Purple Lines will be combined into a single route – the Piedmont-Lenox Shuttle. Service is maintained for all employers, with the added benefits of increased shuttle frequency and connections to both MARTA rail stations and new stops serving Piedmont Center buildings 1-4 and 5-8
- The Piedmont-Lenox Shuttle will operate only during weekday commute hours (no lunch hour or Saturday service):
o Morning Commute (M-F) - 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. (Every 10 minutes)
o Evening Commute (M-F) - 3:30 to 7 p.m. (Every 10 minutes)
- The buc’s Red Line will now be known as the Lenox Park Shuttle and will operate with no changes to its route or schedule. The Lenox Park shuttle provides “last mile” connectivity to and from MARTA’s Lenox rail station and the AT&T/Lenox Park campus. Service extends to Lenox Square’s Food Court during lunch hours.
o Weekday Service – 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Every 10 to 15 minutes)
o Lunchtime Extension – 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Every 20 minutes)
- Real-time schedule information will be available to smartphone users by scanning the QR code on each shuttle’s stop sign.
- The shuttle vehicles will once again be easily identifiable, with the buc logo prominently displayed. There will no longer be any advertising on the exterior of the buc.
For details on all the changes, including updated maps and schedules, visit www.bucride.com.
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About the buc
The buc provides convenient, fast and frequent service throughout the Buckhead community, and plays a role in reducing air pollution and relieving congestion and traffic in the area. The buc is primarily the initiative of two organizations: the Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID), a self-taxing entity created voluntarily by area property owners, which committed nearly $1.5 million to leverage $4.7 million in start-up federal funding for the Shuttle’s first three years of operation; and the Buckhead Area Transportation Management Association (BATMA), a non-profit entity dedicated to promoting alternative modes of travel, which guided the technical development and planning of the system. For more information on the buc, visit www.bucride.com or call 404.812.7433.