Getting Public Transportation Implemented In Houston County, Georgia

Information

Follow-Up Action (Monday, April 6, 2026)

  • Email Subject: Regarding The Need for Accessible, Affordable, and Reliable Public Transit In Houston County
  • Sent: Monday, April 6, 2026, at 10:48 AM Eastern Time
  • Method: Via Email

Message

Dear Houston County Board of Commissioners,

I’m a resident living in Byron, Georgia in the Houston County part of the city. I’m writing to you today regarding a solution to the lack of accessible, affordable and reliable public transportation in the Houston County area.

A while back, I’ve spoken at the Warner Robins City Council meetings regarding the need for accessible, affordable and reliable public transportation, and how this will save me and other residents money by not having to rely on Uber or Lyft all the time just to get around the city and county.

In late 2024, I visited Tennessee, specifically Gatlinburg and the Pigeon Forge/Sevierville area. The City of Pigeon Forge has a mass-transit system called Pigeon Forge Mass-Transit that takes you all over Pigeon Forge and connects to the City of Gatlinburg via the Gatlinburg Welcome Center. It even goes north to portions of Sevierville, Tennessee. You can learn more about this mass-transit system by visiting http://cityofpigeonforge.com/trolley.aspx.

While I wasn’t able to ride their public transit system, except for a small transit system that takes you between parking lots at The Island in Pigeon Forge, it gave me some information for me to bring back to hopefully get a similar system started down here in Houston County. For example, if I want to go out into the community, I’ll have to book an Uber or a Lyft, in which the costs can add up. While I have a good support system, not everyone has someone, especially people living with disabilities who may not be able to get around due to costs.

While I understand that Houston County may not be big enough for mass-transit, we desperately need a transportation system that will service county-wide, including but not limited to Centerville, parts of Byron, Warner Robins, and even Perry, Georgia. Here’s my solution to this issue and how we should go forward with implementing this system:

  1. Provide a shuttle service that visitors and residents can use to get around the whole county, and partner with other counties to expand services, such as Macon-Bibb County. These shuttles should be wheelchair accessible to residents and visitors who uses wheelchairs or other medical equipment.
  2. Provide an app that residents and visitors can download from the Apple and Google Play Stores to book their trip and to pay fares.
  3. Provide passes, such as one-day, seven-day, or even a monthly pass that residents and visitors who stay for a long time can use instead of relying on their cars or rideshare to get around. This is helpful for business travelers who may have a temporary job in the county at a business.
  4. For people with disabilities, provide Paratransit services, no matter if they are close or far from the regular routes. Also, to make the service go smoother, I’d like to see the ability to have the user book a trip without having to reserve in advance, especially if they have an emergency or are suddenly wanting to get out of the house.

Recently, I’ve spoken to State Representative Bethany Ballard regarding the need for public transportation in Houston County at one off my advocacy days at the Georgia State Capitol. She told me that I’ll have to contact the Houston County Board of Commissioners since this is a “local” issue.

The good news is that Georgia has state grants regarding getting a public transportation system off the ground. You can view the available programs that the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) by visiting https://www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/pages/TransitPrograms.aspx.

Common Courtesy is another service that provides rides for people with disabilities, seniors, veterans and other citizens who can’t drive. You can learn more by visiting https://www.ccrides.org/government.

I’d be happy to collaborate with you, such as being on committees to tell you my experiences and also being on future boards that you might create in the future. If you have any questions, please let me know by replying to this email. You can also call me at the phone number that’s located in the signature of this email.

Thank you.

Respectfully,
Armando Vias
Community Advocate

Original Message (Wednesday, October 16, 2024)

To The City of Warner Robins, Perry, Centerville, and the Houston County Governments,

My name is Armando, and I am a resident living in Byron, Georgia. I’m writing to you today regarding a solution to the lack of affordable and reliable public transportation in Warner Robins and the Houston County area.

As some of you may be aware, I’ve spoken at the Warner Robins City Council meetings regarding the need for accessible/affordable and reliable public transportation, and how this will save me and other residents money by not having to rely on Uber or Lyft all the time just to get around the city and county.

Recently, I visited Tennessee, specifically Gatlinburg and the Pigeon Forge/Sevierville area. The City of Pigeon Forge has a mass-transit system called Pigeon Forge Mass-Transit that takes you all over Pigeon Forge and connects to the City of Gatlinburg via the Gatlinburg Welcome Center. It even goes north to portions of Sevierville, Tennessee. You can learn more about this mass-transit system by visiting http://cityofpigeonforge.com/trolley.aspx.

While I wasn’t able to ride their public transit system, except for a small transit system that takes you between parking lots at The Island in Pigeon Forge, it gave me some information for me to bring back to hopefully get a similar system started down here in Houston County and Warner Robins.

For example, if I want to go out into the community, I’ll have to book an Uber or a Lyft, in which the costs can add up. While I have a good support system, not everyone has someone, especially people living with disabilities who may not be able to get around due to costs.

While I understand that Warner Robins is not big enough for mass-transit, we need a transportation system that will service county-wide, including but not limited to Centerville, parts of Byron, Warner Robins, and even Perry, Georgia. Here’s my solution to this issue and how we should go forward with implementing this system:

  1. Provide a shuttle service that visitors and residents can use to get around Warner Robins, and expand to our neighboring counties, such as Macon-Bibb County. These shuttles should be wheelchair accessible to residents and visitors who uses wheelchairs or other medical equipment.
  2. Provide an app that residents/visitors can download from the Apple and Google Play Stores to book their trip and/or to pay fares.
  3. Provide passes, such as one-day, seven-day, or even a monthly pass that residents of Houston County or visitors that stay for a long time can use instead of relying on their cars or rideshare to get around.
  4. For people with disabilities, provide Paratransit services, no matter if they are close or far from the regular routes.

I would be happy to collaborate with you, such as being on committees, telling you my experiences, and even being on future boards that you might create in the future. If you have any questions, please let me know by replying to this email. You can also call me at (phone number removed).

Thank you

Respectfully,
Armando Vias

Last Updated: Tuesday, May 26th, 2026 @ 6:10 pm

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