Hall County residents who need a ride but can’t afford it soon may board the bus for free.

Hall Area Transit is previewing a new program that encourages local businesses and organizations to buy and donate bus passes for people in need.

Phillippa Lewis Moss, director of the Community Service Center, which oversees HAT, said she still hasn’t fully developed the program but wants to gauge community interest.

“The need has been discussed for the last three or four years,” she said. “We receive dozens of phone calls monthly from various agencies, including the courts, schools and nonprofits asking me for free bus passes.”

Those in need usually have an important place to go — parent-teacher meetings, ESOL classes or court — but just can’t make it there.

“There’s a constant barrage of requests, and while we’re a public agency, this isn’t free of charge,” she said. “Even with a small amount of fare, some people in these difficult economic times find even that a barrier to be mobile.”

Moss said as some community members wished to see more riders on the buses and more residents asked for free passes, she “just couldn’t say ‘no’ anymore.”

“I decided I had to figure out a solution,” she said. “And what better way than to marry the business leaders in the community with potential passengers who don’t have the resources?”

Companies can either buy books of passes and distribute them as they choose or donate the books to a pool that Moss can use when she gets calls. Although she originally pitched the idea for only the Red Rabbit service in the city, Moss said an increasing number of people have asked for help in outlying areas.

“Our residents in the rural areas are the most challenged with getting from point A to point B,” she said. “With companies not giving as many grants or contributing much, this is an easy way to make a huge difference in the life of an individual or family with $500 — or even $50.”

Moss is now welcoming interest from the business community to gauge the level of participation before launching a program. Business leaders can call her at 770-503-3340.

She’s also looking for ideas for a good name; for now, it’s HAT Heads.

Moss said a community member said there were not enough riders on the routes and said she should cut out figures of people to put on the buses.

“I got his point and understood the need to push for expanded riders,” she said. “So HAT Heads is about putting more heads on the buses.”