Mass transit changes to better accommodate riders Published Jan. 7, 2011 By Chrissy Miner 78 ABW/PA ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- If $3 a gallon gas prices aren't incentive enough to park your vehicle, base officials have introduced a few more incentives to help convince you to let others do the driving. The Round Robins Express, or base shuttle service, now has additional stops on its routes to entice employees to jump on board. A number of the new pick up and drop off points are adjacent to the flightline, which provide maintenance riders easier access to their work areas. The RRE travels two routes. The Red Line supports high occupancy administrative buildings such as Bldgs. 300 and 301, while the Blue Line is tailored to flightline workers. Both lines run weekdays from 5:15 to 9 a.m. and 2 to 5:30 p.m. According to John Pugh, 78th Mission Support Group deputy director, the program is evolving to better serve its customers. "We listen very carefully to feedback we receive from riders and potential riders," Pugh said. "We want to make the program the best it can be to encourage people to give up their keys." Since their launch in late November, base officials have also made positive changes to the base's other mass transit options. Gate 12, at the North Davis Drive extension, is open to vehicles with two or more occupants. It was initially open to vehicles with three or more occupants. Meanwhile, the schedules of the BiRD, or Buses into Robins Daily, have been modified. BiRD also has four pick-up locations between the Macon Centreplex and the base: Cherry Street at Martin Luther King Blvd. (in downtown Macon), Broadway at Highway 247, the TIMCO site at 247 (near the Macon airport), and Elberta Road at 247. The drop-off points are the same from Robins to Macon, with the exception of the TIMCO stop. Northbound BiRD buses instead stop at the Kohl's Distribution Center. To ease riders' burden in obtaining BiRD passes, Macon Transit Authority representatives will sell passes at the Base Restaurant Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 10-trip passes are good for five days of travel and cost $30, 20-trip passes are good for 10 days of travel and cost $60, and both carry over from week to week if not used. Employees are asked to pay with cash. Pugh is optimistic the modifications will encourage more Robins workers to take advantage of the mass transportation options, particularly since they can also be reimbursed for their efforts. The BiRD is 100 percent reimbursable for military members and civilian employees enrolled in the Transportation Incentive Program, or TIP. For more information or to sign up for the TIP, call 468-7199. Additionally, the Clean Air Campaign helps commuters find carpool partners through an online registry at www.logyourcommute.org. Robins employees can go participate in the program by visiting the website, putting in their information, and finding people who live near them with similar working hours. "Now is the time for employees to give up their keys and take advantage of these opportunities," Pugh said.