The Mayor
Connect Douglas enhances Getroute on Board in the New Year fixed bus service ROCHELLE ROBINSON then the Records Court of the City of Douglasville. In 1982, Douglasville City Attorney Robert James was elected to the Superior Court of Douglas County and in 1983 Joel Dodson was officially appointed as the new City Attorney. In his tenure with Douglasville he has served under four Mayors; Charles Camp, Mickey Thompson, Harvey Persons, and myself. He has worked with three Assistant City Attorneys; Jan Shevin, Julie Livingston, and Suzan Littlefield.
I want to wish everyone a very happy New Year! I love this time of year – it is a time for change, improvement, and starting fresh. As we move out of a difficult 2020, we can all agree that we’re looking forward to a much healthier, peaceful, and more comfortable year in 2021. I used part of this holiday season to reflect on the past few years and look forward to the next few years as well. Upon my reflection, I realized that we have a career milestone for an esteemed community servant. Our very own City Attorney, Mr. Joel Dodson, has celebrated 40 years of service to the Douglasville community.
“The most meaningful part of my service as City Attorney has been seeing this community grow and evolve into a significant part of the Metro Atlanta Area,” states Mr. Dodson. “The elected officials for whom I have served have been fiscally responsible and have made the City’s long term growth and development a high priority.” When he began working with the City our population was less than 8,000. Douglasville has come a long way in the last 40 years and that is in no small part due to the guidance and efforts of Mr. Joel Dodson. Congratulations to Mr. Dodson on his commitment to service within our great community!
As I close, I want to remind everyone to stay safe and diligent in the fight against COVID-19. As we Congratulations emerge from the holiday season and settle into the to Mr. Dodson on long weeks of winter, it is Joel Dodson was his commitment to more important than ever born in Douglasville in service within our to keep our health and the 1947. His father owned great community! health of our loved ones a Ford dealership, and at the forefront. We have his mother was a teachquite a bit to look forward er. Mr. Dodson graduatto in our community and I want to make sure ed from Douglas County High School and we can all enjoy and gather once again. attended Oxford College, Emory University, and Emory Law School. Mr. Dodson was initially employed by the City in 1980 as the first Solicitor in what was
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Chapel Hill News & Views COMMUNITY | MAYOR
As always, I wish you all of God’s blessings, Mayor Rochelle Robinson
Refer to route schedules for times and locations.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Douglas County Transportation Center. Tickets are sold for one-way trips, 10-trips, or 31-day passes.
Nearly 100 bus stops within the Fixed Route Area.
Track the Connect Douglas Fixed Route Bus live on your smartphone by downloading the Passio Go! mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Choose Connect Douglas at the prompt.
Please have exact change when boarding without a prepaid ticket. One-way fare is $2.50 with reduced fare of $1.00 available for seniors 60 years and older, individuals with disabilities and students.
Customer Service is available M-F from 5am to 7pm.
Connect Douglas began enhancements to the Fixed Route Bus Service on December 14 after evaluating the inaugural year of the fixed route bus service, hosting a series of community open houses in late February and early March, and gathering in-person and digital surveys. Rider evaluation and public input has resulted in efforts to make the Douglas County public transit system more efficient and acces@connectdouglas | ConnectDouglas.com | 770.949.7665 sible going into its second year. After public feedback, the route changes were finalized and presented first to the Douglas County Board of Commissioners’ Transportation Committee and then to the full Board of Commissioners for final approval earlier this year. Implementation for the Connect Douglas Fixed Route Bus Service enhancements was scheduled for Summer 2020 and then adjusted due to the current coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bus system has remained available as a safe, clean, and dependable mode of transportation within Douglas County. Connect Douglas Transit Manager Jemal Sheppard confirms that “Connect Douglas has followed public health guidelines from the onset of the pandemic and continues to keep all riders, staff, and drivers’ safety a high priority. Buses and the Multi-Modal Transportation Center (MMTC) continue to be cleaned daily along with weekly deep cleaning.” Reusable masks are available to riders upon request on each of the four bus routes and social distancing is encouraged. Masks and sanitizing stations are available at MMTC and social distancing is practiced. Funding from Federal Transit Administration grants help Connect Douglas operate. During the June 2019 to June 2020 period, Connect Douglas received $1.3 million in operating reimbursements from FTA. Bus route service updates also include new bus stop signs on all routes enlarged to 18” x 24” with branded info on each side for better visibility. There are now 110 bus stop signs at designated locations. Those who are interested in the route changes can see maps and get more information at CelebrateDouglasCounty.com/236/ Connect-Douglas. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS