Transit has a “last-mile problem.” 

Even in the densest, most transit-saturated cities, most people don’t have a bus or rail stop right at their front doors. In sprawling, mostly low-density cities like Atlanta, that problem is amplified even further.

This is why MARTA is rolling out a new service called Reach on March 7, following a successful pilot a few years ago. Reach operates on-demand, similar to Uber or Lyft, but at the price of a single $2.50 MARTA fare and only within a defined zone. 

The goal is for Reach to solve the “last mile problem” by connecting riders to nearby bus and rail routes, or to enable travel between destinations within the zone. The service will operate 18 hours a day, seven days a week, and rides can be hailed via the MARTA app, website or by calling. Pickups are promised within 30 minutes or less.

Reach is intended as a complement to MARTA’s NextGen bus-network redesign, which launches on April 18, and offers increased frequencies on certain routes while paring back or eliminating others.

To help riders learn more about Reach and NextGen, MARTA has been hosting a series of open houses this month, primarily at rail stations. Find one near you at https://itsmarta.com/nextgenengage.aspx.