Buckhead Finest

By: Roberto Sanchez

The city of Atlanta has been seen to have many transportation problems throughout  the years. Problems with MARTA train rides being unsafe and localized in not very popular places, and having a very rare and inefficient bus transportation. Problems with the city planning having insufficient access for pedestrian. Problems with sprawl making distances between homes and accessible points of interest even more farther away. All of this problems have been seen in the city of Atlanta and in a way been ignored, but in the neighborhood of Buckhead, thanks to GRTA and other state funding, a public transportation called “The Buc” has been founded to help with transportation.

The neighborhood of Buckhead in Atlanta, was seen as a region of increase growth in commercial business and private housing. Hence, it was decided to build a system of public transportation to help move the people around mostly the commercial area of Buckhead. The bus system called “The Buc” has been operational since 2003 and it connects local office buildings, other transit stops, such as MARTA, and shopping destinations, such as Lenox shopping Mall. This new system of public transportation by bus, in an area of rapid growth is funded by The Buckhead Community Improvement District, which is a self taxing entity created by the public owners of the area, The Buckhead area Transportion Management Association “BATMA”, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting alternatives methods of transportation and overseeing the daily operation of the systems, and finally by The Georgia Regional Transit Authority “GRTA”. “BATMA” is the one mostly in charge for managing “the Buc” shuttle and they are operated by the American Coach Line.  This bus has been a success since it was started for the area, because it has been useful to move visitors to the areas and workers with different points of interest in the area. Some of the special features that make this bus so efficient and safe are that:

• All “Buc” shuttles are outfitted with wheelchair lifts to assist all those that can’t board on foot.
• All “Buc” shuttles are outfitted with AEDs(automated External Defibrillators) which can help in the event of a heart attack to any of the passengers on board. All “Buc” drivers are trained to use this AEDs devices and to be able to do CPR on a shocking passenger.
• All “Buc” shuttles are equipped with Nextel communications and have direct links to the on duty police in the area.
• All “Buc” shuttles are cleaned by the Samaritan House’s Clean Street Team

Not only has “The Buc” focused on making the transportation on the bus an excellent and comforting experience but it also thinks on its employees. Each year the buc recognizes one driver for its excellent work while driving and maintaining its passenger safe and secure with a good quality driving service. It even thinks even more on its operators and stop their hours of operations at two certain hours of the day for their operators to have a break. This may seem as a time where no people is able to move on the bus, but they have thoughtfully put this break times on specific hours of the day that people are either having a break as well or are working in their offices.

Buc has kept its business up to date with an efficient website that evenly gives the routes where each shuttle moves through in the area and its shuttle times. Its website is modern, eye-catching and easy to use and easy to travel through it. They even have a Facebook page, which when you like them you can see updates to their services and even check through its details and hours of operation and schedules.

Up to date, functional, efficient, fast, free are some of the adjectives that many people have given to the buc shuttle. Secure and diverse are other adjectives that I would add to it. Especially diverse for the different shuttles that it has in the area. Great for anyone that ventures through the area and especially good for transporting through the shopping areas that are located in the zone. A personal anecdote of my experience through this shuttle, is that as soon as I arrived to the area through the MARTA train stop I was able to mount up on the Buc shuttle and ride for free and safely and took me directly to the Lenox square, where we stopped to do some tourist activity in the mall. As a person that is not even from Georgia, I say it is a great public transportation service for anyone around the area.