The Greater Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau (GRCVB) is launching a new shuttle service to increase accessibility and enhance the Downtown Rome experience. The free shuttle service will offer a continuous route encompassing Broad Street.
The service will launch Nov. 4 and will run Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Two, eight passenger club cars will provide front-door transportation to downtown shopping, restaurants, parking and The Forum.
The Downtown Welcome Center located at the corner of West First St. and West Third Ave. will serve as the shuttle’s hub for the start and finish of each route. The route will loop from the Cotton block to the 700 block, allowing riders to request stops at crosswalks and intersections along the route as well as jump on the shuttle during stops.
“We are excited to offer this new service for downtown,” said Lisa Smith, Executive Director of the Greater Rome Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Given that we are introducing a new service, we may need to make adjustments to the route and hours based on need and response.”
The shuttle service will be gratuity based. “Since the service is free and drivers are paid by tips, we encourage everyone to be generous to the drivers,” said Smith.
The new shuttle service will also be available to lease for special events in Downtown Rome. When the shuttle is not being used for public service, it will be available for private groups and events.
Earlier this year, the City of Rome passed a Personal Transportation Vehicle (PTV) Ordinance which helped pave the way for this new public service. The ordinance permits PTVs on city streets with a posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour or less and is designated by the Rome City Commission as an authorized street. The ordinance only applies to streets within the Rome city limits and requires that authorized PTVs must be permitted through the Rome Police Department.
The vehicles utilized for the service were made possible thanks to the City of Rome and Floyd County. The Downtown Development Authority and downtown businesses are offering program support. The Greater Rome Convention and Visitors Bureau will manage the service.
For more information on the new Georgia’s Rome Free Downtown Shuttle, or leasing information for private events, contact Lisa Smith at the Greater Rome Convention and Visitors Bureau at 706.295.5576.
About the Author
Our Georgia's Rome tourism team works hard to curate content to help you discover and explore our beautiful town! We want to ensure our content is up-to-date and accurate; so please let us know if we ever overlook an important detail! This post was originally written by Kristi Kent and is updated by staff.
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