MARTA has been working since 2021 on redesigning its bus service network and is inviting public input on the changes through Feb. 22.
The NextGen Bus Network is the most comprehensive update so far to a system originally designed in the 1970s. MARTA has experienced a drop-off in bus ridership since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and is prioritizing a higher frequency of service over expanded coverage areas in an effort to win back riders.
The draft network plan has 79 fixed bus routes, down from the existing 113 routes, but increases the corridors with service at least every 15 minutes from five to 18. The number of routes with service at least every 20 minutes would increase from nine to 13.
The transit agency is hosting a series of public meetings, both in-person and virtually, to explain the proposed changes and gather feedback from MARTA riders. Bus service in Clayton County will remain essentially unchanged, so these events are focused on communities in the City of Atlanta, North and South Fulton County, and DeKalb County.
MARTA is also inviting public comments through an online survey, which will collect responses through March 9. Riders can explore proposed changes in their neighborhoods through the subarea maps and individual route profiles that compare the draft network to existing bus services. MARTA’s interactive route finder tool allows riders to track changes to their specific routes and plan out trips using the proposed NextGen Bus Network.
The public engagement sessions kicked off on Saturday, Jan. 25, with an open house at MARTA’s headquarters. The upcoming events below include opportunities to participate via Zoom or in-person at locations across DeKalb and Fulton Counties:
- Monday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m.: DeKalb in-person meeting at South DeKalb Senior Center (1931 Candler Road, Decatur, Georgia 30032)
- Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 12 p.m.: City of Atlanta virtual meeting
- Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 12 p.m.: North Fulton in-person meeting at Alpharetta City Hall, 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, Ga. 30009
- Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m.: North Fulton in-person meeting at North Fulton Government Service Center (7741 Roswell Road Northeast, Atlanta, Georgia 30350)
- Friday, Jan. 31 at 12 p.m.: DeKalb Lunch & Learn virtual meeting
- Saturday, Feb. 1 at 12 p.m.: City of Atlanta Lunch & Learn virtual meeting
- Monday, Feb. 3 at 12 p.m.: North Fulton Lunch & Learn virtual meeting
- Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 12 p.m.: DeKalb in-person meeting at Gresham Park Recreation Center (3113 Gresham Road Southeast, Atlanta, Georgia 30316)
- Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 12 p.m.: City of Atlanta in-person meeting at C.T. Martin Natatorium (3201 MLK Jr Drive Southwest, Atlanta, Georgia 30311)
- Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 12 p.m.: DeKalb Lunch & Learn virtual meeting
- Thursday, Feb. 6 at 12 p.m.: South Fulton in-person meeting at Conley Recreation Center (3636 College Street, College Park, Georgia 30337)
- Thursday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m.: DeKalb in-person meeting at Tucker City Hall (1975 Lakeside Parkway Suite 350, Tucker, Georgia 30084)
- Thursday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m.: North Fulton in-person meeting at Dorothy Benson Senior Center (6500 Vernon Woods Drive Northeast, Sandy Springs, Georgia 30328 US)
- Friday, Feb. 7 at 12 p.m.: DeKalb Lunch & Learn virtual meeting
- Saturday, Feb. 8 at 10:30 a.m.: System-wide virtual meeting
MARTA will continue posting upcoming events on its website and will conclude this public engagement effort with another open house at MARTA headquarters on Saturday, Feb. 22.
The transit agency conducted initial public outreach for the proposed bus service changes in 2022, and the MARTA board approved policy guidance for the redesign in 2023. The bus network update aims to expand access, improve transit equity and be future-facing, Andrea Foard, a project manager on MARTA’s redesign team, said during a public meeting about the proposed bus service changes on Dec. 17.
“This plan was meant to be focused more on travel patterns today, demographics of today, and what’s to come in the future, not one that’s necessarily based on the past or on the historical context,” Foard said. “We accept that while this new network will have net improvement, there will be some customers who will object to these changes.”
MARTA has been sharing the draft network with elected officials and the public since late 2024 and will make refinements based on public feedback before taking the final recommended changes through public hearings and board approval this spring. The new bus network is expected to be implemented in late 2025.
