Georgia's House Bill 511 is progressing through the State Legislature with the potential to change funding and governance of transit in the city while taxing rides with taxi, limousine, and ride-hailing companies.
"A bill that could pave the way for transit expansion across Georgia cleared its first hurdle Tuesday, with an amendment that could benefit metro Atlanta," reports David Wickert.
"House Bill 511 would raise tens of millions of dollars for transit by imposing a 50-cent fee for taxi, limousine and ride-hailing service rides, and a 25-cent fee on shared rides," adds Wickert. "The fee would replace the state’s existing sales tax on rides for hire. It would generate an estimated $30 million to $60 million annually for transit."
That funding would pay for "pilot programs that would provide transit vouchers or credits to unemployed residents in parts of rural Georgia and tax credits for companies who subsidize their employees’ transportation to work."
A controversial component of the bill would consolidate state transit functions currently split into six agencies into a new Georgia Department of Mobility and Innovation. Gone would be the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Community Health.
FULL STORY: Transit bill could benefit metro Atlanta
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