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MARTA briefs Fulton County on ridership recovery, bus network redesign and station projects
Summary
MARTA presented quarterly operations and capital updates to Fulton County commissioners, including next‑generation bus network plans, station rehabilitations at the airport and 5 Points, and pilot work on automated transit. Commissioners pressed MARTA on ridership projections and federal funding dependencies.
MARTA representatives told the Fulton County Board of Commissioners that their next‑generation bus network redesign aims to increase frequency on high‑ridership routes and expand access to jobs within a 60‑minute transit trip, while staff answered questions about ridership measurement and the funding and schedules for station rehabilitation projects.
Carrie Rocha, MARTA’s chief capital officer, led a quarter‑one briefing. She said the agency had identified challenges in ridership data, including fare‑gate malfunctions and unregistered Breeze card taps, and that MARTA is working with vendor Cubic and accelerating an automated fare‑collection upgrade (AFC‑2). The agency also previewed an online tool where residents can chart job access changes under the draft bus network and described a planned implementation target in Q4 2025.
Rocha described capital work at Airport Station, including a new mural, concourse‑level upgrades and a canopy replacement slated to finish in spring 2026. She said station rehabilitation at 5 Points has progressed on the platform levels and that the agency is preparing for a longer‑term transformation that includes concourse and plaza work. That transformation carries a $25 million RAISE grant and state funds, Rocha said, and that permitting and coordination with the city will shape the construction start and detours for bus routes.
Commissioners pressed MARTA leadership about ridership targets and the magnitude of undercounting from fare‑gate problems. Vice Chair Bob Ellis and Commissioner Mo Ivory asked whether projected frequency increases and other operational changes had concrete ridership projections; MARTA said staff would follow up with projections. Vice Chair Ellis also asked which projects depended on federal funding; Rocha said the airport and certain platform rehabilitation work did not rely on federal grants, while the 5 Points transformation included an obligated RAISE grant and state funds.
Rocha also described a series of planning initiatives, including Safe Routes to Transit pedestrian improvements, arterial rapid transit packages, and an automated transit network (ATN) pilot planned at the Georgia International Convention Center. MARTA is coordinating arterial rapid transit schedules with GDOT’s express‑lane work and pursuing federal grants for elements of several South Fulton projects. Public engagement on the bus network redesign included more than 50 meetings and online tools for residents to test draft maps.
The board requested follow‑up materials on ridership projections tied to proposed changes and asked MARTA to clarify which capital projects carried federal funding risk. MARTA officials said they would provide the requested projections and documentation to commissioners.
