Dive Brief:
- The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority will begin an on-demand transit service on March 7, providing point-to-point shared rides within 12 areas of metro Atlanta.
- The service, named MARTA Reach, will be available 18 hours a day, seven days a week, with a flat fare of $2.50, the same as MARTA’s bus and rail fares. Fares will be free until March 28.
- At the start, a temporary fleet of Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible Ford Starcraft vans, outfitted with a wheelchair lift and two wheelchair slots, will handle the service. The Ford vans will later be replaced with Dodge Ram ProMaster vehicles with wheelchair ramps and bike racks, which are on hold due to a nationwide safety recall.
Dive Insight:
“MARTA Reach represents a fundamental shift in how we serve our communities,” MARTA Interim General Manager and CEO Jonathan Hunt said in a statement.
The new service comes ahead of MARTA’s bus network redesign, which launches April 18. The redesign aims to address changing demographics and development patterns within the Atlanta metropolitan area, along with improving efficiency and access to jobs, education and other services, according to MARTA.
“By integrating on-demand technology into our NextGen Bus Network, we are providing a ‘first-mile, last-mile’ solution that makes transit more accessible, efficient, and more personal for our customers,” Hunt said.
The new bus network will reduce the number of routes from 113 to 81 while offering more direct and frequent service. The on-demand service, called MARTA Reach, will help fill in the gaps, the authority says.
Customers will be able to request a ride through a smartphone app or by calling a reservation line, with pickups within 30 minutes. Fares include four free transfers for customers using the authority’s Breeze fare collection system. Rides in many zones include access to rail stations, bus stops and park-and-ride areas.
