ATLANTA — The MARTA Board of Directors approved the NextGen Bus Network in an effort to meet the evolving needs of the Atlanta area.
MARTA is expected to launch its strategic redesign of more than 100 bus routes. The effort follows four years of planning, analysis and public engagement.
In coming up with this plan, MARTA’s public outreach efforts included more than 60 public meetings and more than 15,000 survey responses.
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The goal is to enhance access, equity and mobility so that more people can travel to more jobs, destinations and opportunities.
MARTA said the new bus network is expected to nearly triple the number of people who can access frequent bus service, including seven-days-a-week coverage.
The new network emphasizes a 70/30 ridership-to-coverage balance meant to improve efficiency while ensuring broad access across communities.
A detailed new system map can be found here.
MARTA said the net result of the bus route revamp is more of the population served more often.
More people will be able to access more grocery stores, jobs and hospitals via a MARTA bus once the redesign is launched in late 2025.
Among the bus route changes:
- Expanding frequent service areas from 5 corridors to 17, with the goal of making it easier for riders to reach their destinations
- Increasing 20-minute service routes from nine existing routes to 11 planned routes for shorter wait times and quicker trips
- Adding 12, new, on-demand service zones, offering flexible transit solutions for communities with lower population density.
- Providing seven-day-a-week service on all routes and on-demand zones, with flatter, more consistent frequencies throughout the day to meet riders’ diverse schedules.
- Streamlining fixed bus routes from 113 to 81 to create a simpler and more navigable network.
- Offering greater accessibility for residents and workers, with 74,000 more people and 76,400 additional jobs within close reach of frequent transit service that runs every 15 minutes or better.
“This is a major step toward a more equitable and rider-focused transit system,” said Collie Greenwood, MARTA general manager and CEO. “The NextGen Bus Network is built from the voices of the people we serve. With more frequent buses, better connections, and improved infrastructure, this redesign meets our region’s evolving needs and lays the groundwork for a stronger transit future.”
MARTA said the bus route redesign will lead to a 6% increase in overall population served and an 11% increase in minority residents near transit, and 7% increase in low-income residents near transit.
Because of the new bus network, riders will be able to access 27% more grocery stores, 31% more hospitals and 22% more jobs within 60 minutes by transit, MARTA said.
The redesign also features new and improved transfer points with timed transfers, and infrastructure upgrades that will improve the rider experience and ensure smoother operations.
The network will also feature 12 on-demand zones where customers can use an app to call a ride to connect them to the MARTA system.
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