Politics & Government

Douglas Considering Rideshare Fare Changes

The average user of the vans will see an increase of between $6 and $7 a month.

As a result of rising fuel costs, Douglas County is looking to restructure the county’s Rideshare vanpool fares into zone pricing, which will result in an average increase of between $6 and $7 a month per person.

The Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a public hearing for Aug. 2 to be held regarding the fare increase.

“We’re really seeing it necessary to see a little bit of a bump in fares as we’re restructuring things,” Rideshare Division Manager Jim Watson said at last week’s work session, which wasn’t held Monday because of the Fourth of July holiday.

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Watson noted the county hasn’t seen an increase since 2008. The proposed zone rate sheet is attached to this article. The zone maps can be seen on this website.

Some riders will see a decrease of $3 a month, Watson said, while others will see as much as a $20 increase. “But the majority are going to be within $10.”

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“The shorter rides cost you less, and the longer you’re on the van, it costs you more?” Commission Chairman Tom Worthan asked at the work session, followed by Watson agreeing.

The projected revenue increase, Watson said, will be $5,000 a month, which should help compensate for the 30 percent rise in fuel costs Rideshare has seen since the beginning of the year.

In other business:

  • A public hearing was held on Tuesday about the application for a $17,272 Justice Assistance Grant that will go toward the sheriff’s office’s part-time website public information officer. The grant money would be a continuation of current funds, Chief Deputy Stan Copeland said, adding that the website’s hits have climbed from slightly more than 100,000 to 430,000 a month. “It’s been steadily climbing. … It’s updated regularly, and a lot of public information is going out,” he said.
  • A $1,000 donation from Walmart to go to the county’s fire and EMS public relations and safety education was approved. “We appreciate their partnership in our community,” Worthan said. 
  • A grant was accepted from the Georgia Trauma Care Network System to go along with an agreement that allows for better ambulance locating in times of emergency.
  • A $15,600 grant from the Cobb/Douglas Board of Health was approved for communications for the county’s fire department.
  • A $24,000 Family Connection Grant for Douglas CORE was approved for the 13th straight year.


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