Georgia's coast will soon have a public bus system that runs through nine counties because of federal stimulus money.

The Coastal Regional Careers will operate weekdays during business hours starting in late summer. Riders will be able to book a trip to anywhere in Glynn, Camden, McIntosh, Long, Chatham, Effingham, Bryan, Liberty and Screven counties for just $3 per county.

The bus service, a project of the Coastal Regional Commission, will run more than 80 vehicles with the help of $2.5 million from the federal stimulus package.

"It will be a pretty phenomenal program by the time we're done," said Barbara Hurst, who is organizing the bus project.

A fleet of 60 new vehicles has been ordered, a combination of conversion vans and shuttle buses, each seating 15 passengers and all capable of transporting people in wheelchairs, Hurst said. Eventually, she hopes the program can expand to 89 vehicles.

And if they're popular enough, the buses could run on weekends and longer hours during the week.

Riders will be able to call a dispatch center to schedule a trip anywhere within the nine counties. The buses will be outfitted with tracking devices so the dispatchers can see in real time where the buses are.

Passengers pay for each county line crossed, so a round trip from Glynn County to McIntosh County would cost $12. A trip within Glynn County would be $6.

The program is being funded by the fares, money contributed from each county, federal grants and stimulus money.

The regional commission already runs a transportation service for patients on dialysis and for the elderly. The new bus route will be an expansion of that program.

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Information from: The Brunswick News, http://www.thebrunswicknews.com