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Committee backs MARTA request to extend 1% transit sales tax for 10 years
Summary
The House Transportation Committee recommended approval of House Bill 1137 after a MARTA presentation explaining projects funded by a renewed 1% TSPLOST, including new trains, a bay-to-bay fare system and a redesigned bus network aimed at increasing ridership and preparing for the 2026 World Cup.
Jennifer LaRosa, MARTA's senior director of government community affairs, told the House Transportation Committee that House Bill 1137 would renew an existing local transit sales tax and "extend basically the TSPLOST for 1% for 10 years." LaRosa said the money would support six priority areas: new open‑gangway trains, a contactless fare rollout, a next‑gen bus network, rapid transit expansion, a station rehabilitation program and increased public‑safety staffing.
"We are ready to go from good to great," LaRosa said, urging lawmakers to approve the renewal to boost ridership and service reliability. She told the committee new trains will begin arriving in May, MARTA will launch contactless payments (Better Breeze) in April 2026, and the bus network redesign will reduce routes from 111 to 81 to concentrate more frequent service in higher‑demand corridors.
LaRosa described a $1 billion station rehabilitation program and said MARTA secured roughly $52 million in competitive federal grants in 2025 for bus replacements and related programs; the agency also has about $286 million in pending federal grant requests. She highlighted that sales tax receipts and federal formula funds are MARTA's two primary funding streams and warned those sources can be unpredictable.
During committee questions, staff explained planning and project prioritization under a multi‑jurisdiction contract often called the RTCAA; LaRosa said that if the state enacts a sales tax extension, the four jurisdictions would renegotiate priorities under that contract. Members asked about ridership trends and Breeze card transitions; LaRosa said rail ridership remains below pre‑pandemic levels partly because of fare evasion and that all existing Breeze cards will be replaced in an April–May transfer window.
After the presentation and questions the committee took a voice vote on HB 1137. A member moved "do pass," the motion was seconded, and the chair announced the measure passed by voice vote.
