![]() Rail ridership is down almost 80 percent, leaving room on trains for social distancing. MPD has also created a mobile team of officers who will respond in real time to bus operators who need assistance. The MARTA Police Department will dispatch officers to the busiest routes to assist with overcrowding, limiting the number of passengers who board, and escorting off the bus those customers who are joyriding. Decals near the boarding door of all buses will encourage customers NOT to board a bus that has no open seats and to wait for the next bus that will be coming along in most cases within 10 minutes. This Essential Service plan will address crowding by placing MARTA’s entire bus fleet on 41 routes. Despite MARTA’s implementation of several crowding mitigation efforts such as instructing operators to display a ‘Bus Full’ sign when at capacity, a customer hotline to report a full bus and request another, and seat spacing signs to encourage social distancing, there are too many instances of customers ignoring the guidelines. Rear door boarding, and suspension of bus fares have exacerbated the issue. I know it will have a negative impact on many bus-dependent areas, but it is necessary to keep MARTA operating and allow space on our busiest routes for customers to practice social distancing.”īus ridership, while down 40 percent, remains steady on busy routes, resulting in unacceptable crowding. “This Essential Service plan will serve the largest number of people and with these important destinations in mind, provide as much coverage in our service area as possible,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker. A list and map of the routes are attached. Buses will be added to the 34 busiest routes. This plan keeps MARTA running for health care personnel and other essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic.īeginning Monday, April 20, MARTA will run 40 bus routes and one new circulator service that provide transportation to 17 hospitals, 22 urgent care centers, 85 grocery stores and 16 job centers/industrial hubs. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.ATLANTA – The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) announced it will implement an Essential Service plan that reduces the number of bus routes and allows for a doubling of service on the busiest, most critical routes. After seeking public input, it will implement the final changes next spring. MARTA plans to unveil the details of its new bus system this summer. The agency plans to offer on-demand transit service in some areas where fixed-route service is eliminated. The agency’s board of directors recently opted for a system that provides more frequent service on fewer routes - a move MARTA believes will increase overall ridership. The moves come as MARTA plans a major redesign of its entire bus network. Service will be provided on County Line Road south of Campbellton.įor details on all the route changes, visit. For example, because lane widths are too narrow, service on Route 183 will not operate along Niskey Lake Road and County Line Road north of Campbellton Road for now. The agency also is changing several routes because of various concerns. Southbound service will begin 40 minutes earlier and end 60 minutes later. Northbound service will begin five minutes earlier and end 60 minutes later. Meanwhile, service on Route 8 on North Druid Hills Road will run every 45 minutes - up from every 60 minutes. And northbound and southbound service will begin 50 minutes earlier. For example, Route 180 on Roosevelt Highway will run every 30 minutes - up from every 45 minutes currently. The frequency of the routes affected by the latest changes will vary. After Saturday, MARTA will have restored about 87% of its bus service. The agency has been gradually restoring service as it hires drivers. That led MARTA to reduce 96 routes to Saturday schedules in December 2021. But it struggled to maintain regular service frequencies because of driver retirements and illness. ![]() At the beginning of the pandemic, the agency suspended most of its routes so it could provide more frequent service on the busiest ones. MARTA operates 113 bus routes in Atlanta and Clayton, DeKalb and Fulton counties. The changes are the latest evidence that MARTA is gradually recovering from the pandemic, which saw its bus ridership plummet and its service reduced as it struggled to hire drivers. The agency also will change several routes as it tweaks bus service. MARTA will increase the frequency of bus service on 19 routes Saturday as it continues to restore service that was scaled back amid the coronavirus pandemic. ![]()
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