The Georgia

Regional Transportation Authority wants to run buses up and down two Fayette

County thoroughfares, and is willing to pay for them.

But County

Commission Chairman Greg Dunn said he is willing to look that gift horse

in the mouth, and it's not as much of a gift as it might appear.

"They

met with me," Dunn confirmed this week after metro area news reports

surfaced about GRTA's desire to establish bus service in 13 Atlanta area

counties. "I told them we weren't prepared to do that now,"

he added.

The proposal

is for express commuter bus service on Ga. highways 74 and 85, Dunn said,

adding that GRTA has offered to pay for the buses and construction of

park/ride lots.

"I asked

them about M&O [maintenance and operation] and they said that would

come out of the bus fares," Dunn said. "I told them in the history

of mankind, bus fares have never been able to pay the M&O bill."

GRTA representatives

admitted that local tax funds would have to make up the difference of

about $1.2 million a year, Dunn said, assuming Fayette's ridership is

about the same as in other counties where similar service has been established.

"If the

ridership did not justify its existence, we would be in a long-term contract,"

Dunn said.

He said he

suggested a pilot program so it could be ended if it turned out to be

unsuccessful, but GRTA wants the long-term commitment, Dunn said.

As part of

the program, GRTA also is offering to funnel some state money into Fayette's

road transportation needs, Dunn said, but added there's also more to that

proposal than meets the eye. "We would have to come up with our 10

percent immediately," he said, something the county is not prepared

to do, since the local share could be $1 million or more.

GRTA was created

last year by the state Legislature and charged with bringing the metropolitan

Atlanta area into compliance with federal air quality standards. Much

of its effort has been directed toward moving the region toward public

transportation and away from reliance on automobiles.