MARTA Asking Riders For Feedback On Route Redesign

As the agency plans to redesign its bus routes and faces necessary cutbacks on either frequency or service area, Atlanta's MARTA is calling on the public to provide feedback on rider priorities, reports David Wickert.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, MARTA had 110 routes that provided more than 4 million passenger trips per month in Clayton, DeKalb and Fulton counties and the city of Atlanta. COVID-19 upended its service — the agency eliminated most bus routes for about a year, providing more frequent service on its busiest routes to allow passengers to spread out and avoid spreading the disease.

With ridership at roughly half what it was before the pandemic, the agency wants to "make service more efficient and ensure it’s meeting the needs of customers," writes Wickert. MARTA is proposing two options for a system redesign, one of which would cut the number of bus routes by more than half while enhancing service frequency. The second option would keep a similar number of bus routes covering a broader area, but would cut frequency to 30 to 60 minutes in some cases.

While the agency may not adopt either plan fully, their goal is to help the public understand how service changes could affect their transportation options.