Comprehensive, bilingual survey of 900+ bus riders provides ground-level insights on MARTA performance and opportunities for improvement
Propel ATL is releasing “Voices from the Bus: MARTA Riders Speak Out,” a report detailing day-to-day rider experiences on MARTA’s buses and the implications of these findings for MARTA’s operational and strategic decision-making.
This report draws on data from a survey conducted between March and July 2024, gathering responses in English and Spanish from over 900 bus riders across the MARTA service area. (A Spanish-language version of the report is here.)
Conducted primarily in person, the survey focused on key issues, including service frequency, reliability, accessibility, and equity. The insights gathered from these riders form the foundation of the findings and recommendations presented in this report.
Among the key findings:
- “Ghost buses” — Cancelled and significantly delayed buses disrupt riders’ ability to get to work, appointments, and other vital commitments.
- Infrequent schedules — Buses that do not run regularly enough lead to overcrowding, lengthy commutes, and challenges accessing jobs.
- Diminished off-peak service — Reduced schedules on weekends, evenings, and holidays limit riders’ ability to access healthcare, shopping, community activities, and jobs that fall outside standard business hours.
- A lifeline for vulnerable communities — Bus ridership has rebounded more quickly than rail following the pandemic. Buses serve many of Atlanta’s low-income, Black, and Brown communities, and our survey shows that Hispanic and Latino riders in particular are disproportionately represented among households earning less than $35,000 per year.
- Suboptimal real-time tracking and mobile apps — Frustrations with technology and communication came up repeatedly in rider feedback, with riders reporting inaccurate tracking and apps that are difficult to use.
- Overly limited payment system — Riders reported difficulty purchasing and loading Breeze cards, and expressed frustration at the lack of support for contactless payment and mobile wallets, as well as a wider variety of more flexible fare options.
- Unsafe, disconnected first and last miles — Many bus stops lack sidewalks and safe crossings, and also lack micromobility options, like shared scooters, outside of the city center.
Photo: Stephen Davis/Smart Growth America
“I have to leave my house two hours before my shift starts just to make sure I get there on time,” one rider shares. “If one bus is late or canceled, I could lose my job."
As the report notes, some of these issues will be addressed by MARTA’s bus network redesign, now scheduled to roll out in 2026. Others, such as the payment-system issues, will be remedied once MARTA rolls out “tap-to-pay” technology, currently planned.
Beyond that, the report offers the following recommendations:
- Make bus reliability & ridership a guiding, board-level metric
- Boost service frequency
- Improve bus reliability through transit priority
- Expand service hours and connectivity
- Enhance first- and last-mile experience, digital tools, and connectivity.
- Prioritize equity in transit planning.
Photo: MARTA
In this report, Atlanta’s transit riders have spoken—they need a bus system that is reliable, frequent, and responsive to their daily needs. We need to amplify these perspectives and lay out a pathway to build a stronger transit network that better serves riders. This report serves as a call to action for MARTA, city, state, and federal leaders, as well as transit advocates, to make the necessary changes for a public transportation system that truly works for all Atlantans.