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Council asks MARTA about TOD strategy, bus redesign, shelters and electric buses
Summary
Council members pressed MARTA on transit-oriented development plans for Oakland City and West End, the bus network redesign's impact on route connectivity and bus-shelter distribution, and the agency's work on electric buses.
Council members used MARTA's quarterly update to press the agency on transit-oriented development (TOD) plans and the upcoming bus network redesign, raising concerns about connectivity losses, distribution of bus shelters and stop amenities, and progress on electric buses.
Council member Jason Dozier asked about reissuing a request for proposals for TOD at Oakland City and whether a TOD at West End’s underutilized northern parking lot had been considered. Collie Greenwood said both locations are under review as part of MARTA’s TOD strategy and that the agency has new staff working in that space.
Dozier also expressed concerns about the planned loss of east–west connectivity on routes such as the 40 and 832 and asked MARTA to revisit corridor-level impacts where low-income residents rely on those trips. Greenwood said the agency will consider council comments and revisit specific corridors during the redesign process.
On shelters and amenities, Greenwood said decisions go beyond raw ridership thresholds and include equity and vulnerable-population considerations. MARTA noted that the "thousand amenities" program has increased amenity coverage such that about 70% of customers wait with some amenity, and the agency plans to raise that percentage to 80% over time.
Greenwood confirmed MARTA has begun procuring electric buses and that a first tranche is scheduled to enter service; he said the agency started initial procurements two or three years earlier and plans more vehicles to come on board.
Why it matters: TOD and bus-network changes affect neighborhood connectivity, access to jobs and services and equitable distribution of transit amenities. Council members signaled they want stronger engagement and assurances that vulnerable riders will not lose essential connections.
Details and next steps: MARTA said it will update council when TOD RFPs or solicitations are reissued and will examine specific corridors raised during the hearing. The agency also agreed to share cost-per-passenger-mile and related performance metrics when requested by council for budget and planning purposes.
