Atlanta Transit Agency Issues $1.3 Billion Budget

An article in Mass Transit reports on the $1.3 billion budget recently approved by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). “MARTA relies more heavily on sales tax revenue than some peer transit agencies, and with those revenues experiencing strong growth, combined with the last draw down from the federal COVID-19 relief money, the authority says it is well-positioned to resume pre-COVID-19 operation levels and advance its capital improvement program.”

According to the article, “Ridership demand has increased, with rail slightly outperforming bus. Recently, climbing fuel prices have presented an opportunity to gain customers without impacting MARTA’s bottom line.”

MARTA is also exploring other ways to gain ridership including a comprehensive redesign of its bus network to ensure service meets the changing demographics and development of the service area, and by launching an on-demand transit pilot program to connect those in areas underserved by transit to the larger MARTA system.

The source article outlines MARTA’s other plans for the coming years, such as their Capital Improvement Program and the $9 million SMART Restroom Program. The full, detailed budget is available on MARTA’s website.