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In a column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last year, MARTA’s former CEO, the late Jeffrey Parker, provided a glimpse into how the agency has traditionally thought about the idea of fare-free service. “It’s splashy and it’s a step in the right direction perhaps, but it really needs it be packaged with other things.” “You’re sort of putting a fresh coat of paint on something,” Hacker said. (MARTA is in the process of redesigning its bus network, and is seeking public input on whether to offer more frequent bus service on fewer routes.) Explore MARTA wants to know: Do you want more frequent bus service on fewer routes? Joseph Hacker, a public management and policy professor at Georgia State University, said supporters of fare-free MARTA will need to nail down their goal - whether that’s increasing ridership or promoting equity - to successfully implement the program.Īnd without upgrades in services or other initiatives accompanying the policy change, Hacker said, ridership may not drastically increase. MARTA also has a reduced fare program for people over 65 and those with disabilities. While it didn’t reach pre-COVID levels, bus ridership increased throughout that period, and sharply decreased when the fares were reinstated, MARTA data shows. When the pandemic first hit, the agency waived bus fares, asking passengers to board from the back door to reduce contact with drivers.

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MARTA itself has some recent experience with offering free trips. And Baltimore has a privately funded initiative that offers free rides on four bus routes throughout the city.

In Pittsburgh, the city offers a “fare-free zone” running between six light rail stations in the city’s core.

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“I have spoken with so many families who have said it’s been life-changing to not have to worry about how to cobble together enough change in your pocket for that day to get to class, and to know that this is a service that is truly available to everyone,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu told The Guardian last month. That followed a pilot program on one bus line that showed promising results, according to the city of Boston: Ridership on the free bus line surged to 92% of pre-pandemic levels. Other cities around the country have implemented fare-free transit programs in recent years, including an initiative in Boston that made three bus lines in lower-income communities of color free to ride.

Partnerships that the city can establish to bolster the effort.

A cost analysis of other cities in the United States that offer fare-free transit.

The funding streams available to the city and MARTA.

The cost of providing fare-free transit in the city.

MARTA leaders have traditionally said their most common feedback from riders surrounds the frequency and reach of bus and train service, not the cost.Ĭolleen Kiernan, MARTA’s senior director of government and community affairs, estimated the agency could lose around $60 million in fare revenue if rides were free. And it remains to be seen whether it would have the political buy-in from MARTA’s board or other officials.

Still, the idea could face a number of hurdles, primarily surrounding how MARTA or the city would make up for a millions in lost fare revenue. “I’m all here for it, and I’m grateful that my council colleagues are pushing that, and I look forward to the day that we get there.” “I love it,” Dickens said recently when asked about the study. The idea has the backing of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who said when he was running for mayor last year that he wanted to see MARTA become free by 2030. Credit: Jason Getz / Jason Getz / study will only focus on the impact of fare-free MARTA within Atlanta city limits, but Bond hopes neighboring cities and counties that have MARTA service could eventually contribute to an expanded fare-free program.