GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA: SMALL WONDER

The Gainsville, Florida Regional Transit System (RTS) celebrated its silver anniversary in 1999, but it had been an aimless, aging bus system until less than a decade ago, largely ignored by the Gainsville community. This article outlines the transformation of the system into the rapidly expanding, transit-intensive small wonder it is today. At a glance, these figures show the system's growth: ridership increased 272% between FY 1997 and 2003; 36 additional buses were added between 1998 and 2004; 96 full-time jobs were created between 2000 and 2004; RTS has added service every year since 1998 and plans to add more service in 2005; the largest annexation into the City of Gainesville occurred because RTS Route 35 was to be discontinued adding $2.5 million of new revenue, 15,000 new citizens, and two new city commissioners. The criteria laid out in the FTA 2000 study, "The Urbanized Area Formula Program and the Needs of Small Transit Intensive Cities" gives RTS top rating on all seven of them.