The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners approved the Gainesville Regional Transit System's proposed holiday and weekend service changes at a BOCC Special Budget Meeting Tuesday.
The schedule enhancements will provide greater service to those who use public transit on weekends and holidays. Alachua County commissioners voted 5-0 for the holiday transportation additions and 4-1 for the weekend transportation additions. The changes take effect Aug. 15 in time for the start of the fall semester.
“It’s just going to allow us to better connect individuals to their places of employment,” said Chip Skinner, Gainesville Regional Transit System’s spokesperson.
Skinner said there would now be trips to and from UF Health Shands Hospital that begin before 7 a.m. and continue after 6 p.m.
Those expanded schedules will be on Route 1, which runs from the Rosa Parks downtown station to the Butler Plaza transfer station, Route 75, which runs from the Oaks Mall to the Butler Plaza transfer station, and Route 711, which runs from the Rosa Parks downtown station to the Eastwood Meadows.
He said the holiday service changes would occur with Routes 10, 43, which run from downtown to Santa Fe College and from UF Health Shands to Santa Fe College, respectively, and 75.
The weekend service enhancements will cost the county $64.88 per hour, while the holiday changes will cost $128 per hour. The increased cost of changes to holiday bus service includes additional ADA services and a union hourly pay differential.
“The connectivity between the county and the city will be greatly enhanced,” Skinner said.