Transit Service for Hikers
- Brittany Raby
- Nov 12, 2015
- 4 min read
To increase public transportation for Appalachian Trail hikers, the Franklin Tourism Development Authority voted to enter into an interlocal agreement with Macon County to provide a $3,375 grant to expand the Macon County Transit's shuttle service to and from the Appalachian Trail.
Over the last few years, Macon County Transit, on a request basis, has shuttled hikers from trail heads in Macon County into Franklin. Because the cost of the on-demand service was not something Kim Angel, Macon County Transit Director thought could be sustainable alone, last year the transit worked with the Appalachian Trail Community Council to develop a six-week pilot program that provides two trips a day to and from the Appalachian Trail.
Last year the program ran about 122 trips to and from the trail, shuttling 536 hikers. On a request basis, the transit has not only provided the service to hikers wanting to go to Franklin, but the transit has also shuttled local residents to and from various trails so they can enjoy a day in the woods. The cost for the service is the same as if the transit was being used around town, which is $3. The trial program generated $1,608 in fares, but still cost transit an additional $1,910 to operate. At the recommendation of the Appalachian Trail Community Committee (ATCC) and recognizing the economic benefit hikers have on the local
economy, Angel worked with the ATCC on a plan to expand the shuttle service for the upcoming hiking season and sought additional funds, through the TDA and TDC, to supplement the program's cost.
Beginning in February of 2016, Macon County Transit will run three trips a day for 15 weeks, February-May, for hikers and residents alike wanting access to and from the Rock Gap Trail Head. The cost of the hiking shuttle is estimated to be $13,500 with fares estimating to account for $5,931 of that. With the TDA's $3,375 grant, which is half of the $6,750 anticipated deficit, if the TDC contributes the other half, the shuttle service will continue operating with no additional local funds needed.
According to John Henning Jr., Town of Franklin's attorney who works with the TDA, an inter local agreement would be needed to make the grant possible, but assisting in funding the program would be permitted under the TDA bylaws. "Ultimately I think it would need to be in the form of an interlocal agreement, since the TDA would be contributing to the operation of a portion of the county's public transit program," said Henning Jr. Interlocal agreements are expressly authorized in G.S. 160A-461. As to the character of the expenditure, so long as the TDA board finds that it has a purpose of promoting travel and tourism, it will be a proper expenditure under S.L. 2004- 105, which authorized creation of the TDA."
Henning noted that by definition, the TDA is expected to fund tourism-related expenditures, which the transit program does just that. "The TDA is authorized to expend up to onethird of its funds on 'tourism-related expenditures,' which are defined as 'Expenditures that, in the judgment of the [TDA] are designed to increase the use of lodging facilities, meeting facilities, or convention facilities in the town or to attract tourists or business travelers to the town,'" said Henning. "The term includes tourism-related capital expenditures." I would consider the TDA's participation in an interlocal agreement of this kind, to fit neatly within that definition."
Rob Gasbarro and Matt Bateman, who cochair the ATCC, informed members of the TDA that at last week's first ever A.T. Community Summit, other A.T. communities up and down the east coast were intrigued by the possibility of having public transportation for the trail and was looking toward Franklin for guidance.
"It was a privilege representing Franklin at the first ever A.T. Community Summit in Shepherdstown, W.Va. this month," said Bateman. "We had the opportunity to network with A.T. Towns from Georgia to Maine. I had several great takeaways from this event, but one of the highlights from the trip was being able to brag about my hometown of Franklin. This trip confirmed that we are one of, if not the best, A.T. Town out there. One of the major initiatives that our A.T. committee has done successfully is the partnership with the Macon County Transit. Having a consistent schedule of shuttles running from Winding Stair Gap into Franklin will prove to increase overall hiker traffic, and will, in turn, increase the overall economic impact for our local business community. Furthermore, I am a firm believer that first impressions are paramount. Having a consistent service, like these shuttles, to offer hikers gives our town/county a huge opportunity to give the hikers a great first impression on behalf of our community."
Gasbarro noted that with the increase in hikers on the Appalachian Trail, which is estimated to grow by 100 percent every 10 years, the potential for economic dividends to pay back into the Franklin economy are tremendous.
"We need to continue to look for ways to set us apart from other mountain towns," said Gasbarro. "Things like this, making sure hikers have easy and affordable access to transportation to come to our town, shows that our community is invested in hikers. We need that because hikers have already proven time and time again that they are invested in Franklin and our community."
In the future, Gasbarro noted that the ATCC believes that the shuttle program already pays for itself in terms of sales tax and occupancy tax paid by hikers who come into Franklin and spend money on logging and dining and other trail necessities, and with the monumental tourism industry – $141 million from 2003- 2013 for Macon County – a public transit shuttle program could potentially increase visitors and build on existing revenue streams in the county.
According to a peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Christopher Huber and National Park Service economist Lynne Koontz, in 2014 visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park spent $806,719,900 in communities surrounding the park. The report shows $15.7 billion of direct spending by 292.8 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park, which includes Macon County. Capitalizing on the opportunity and pairing it with a shuttle service like the Macon County Transit, is something Gasbarro and the ATCC hope to see happen.
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