Memphis Planning for a Big Expansion of Transit Service

The city of Memphis is ready to expand its transit system, spending $30 million a year in annual operating cost to add 200,000 service hours to the Memphis Area Transit Authority system.

August 31, 2017, 5am PDT | James Brasuell | @CasualBrasuell

Mark Goebel

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"The Memphis Area Transit Authority will begin forming a transit vision plan this September, a necessary step to securing state dollars for a sweeping expansion of the city's bus system," reports Ryan Poe.

Early indications are that the city will drastically increase service hours, by as much 200,000 hours, by July 2019. "The expansion could significantly shorten sometimes hours-long wait times for MATA riders, who take about 7.5 million trips annually, creating new jobs and schooling opportunities," explains Poe.

Such an expansion wouldn't come cheap, however—an estimated $30 million increase in operating costs would cover such an expansion. State legislation known as the "Improving Manufacturing, Public Roads and Opportunities for a Vibrant Economy Act" (IMPROVE Act) could make some of that funding easier to come by. An article by Joel Ebert from April 2017 explains more about the IMPROVE Act.

Hat tip to Sandy Smith for sharing the article.

Full Story:

MATA eyes costly expansion to drastically reduce wait times

Published on Tuesday, August 22, 2017 in The Commercial Appeal