MARTA: Cut Service Or Raise Fares?? (Atlanta, Duluth: tax, to live in, cost)

[gt6974a]

Got to post it, again...

B!!! you ride the marta bus:


YouTube - ***** U RIDE THE MARTA BUS-SWD DRUM MAJORS

[blondandfun]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

The problem is that many in the region turn their back on MARTA which is practically insane.

How can you turn your back on something you didn't help/agree to build in the first place?

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by PeteyNice

A fare increase is reasonable.

Base fares:

New York: $2 but the MTA wants to raise it
Chicago $2.25 and they charge $0.25 for the first transfer
Dallas: $2.50

Other cities are cheaper but they are subsidized by their states. With the lack of support MARTA gets I am surprised fares are not higher already.

Eeekk, Man, the MTA in Baltimore is just $1.35. They had an uproar back in the '90's when it went from $1.25. LOL.

It is state funded tho and the rail sucks in comparions to ATL....

[Merin]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

Well, some of the choices in the poll aren't very practical. I'm not aware of any transit system that doesn't run on Saturdays or after 7pm.

That being said, MARTA needs to switch to a zone fare system, where you pay based on distance traveled. The new Breeze Card tap gate thingies they're using now are actually made to handle this type of system, so you can tap the card as you exit as well as enter. Since a ton of suburbanites ride the trains in during the AM hours, a zone system would put them at about $3.00 or so each way, in line with systems like BART (San Fran), etc. Those only riding a stop or two would pay less than the current fares, etc.

The State would have to start contributing money. The Feds some more money, and the MARTA board would have to have several replacements and be streamlined and redone as it's not run very efficiently.

Word. They need to be more like DC's Metro system in that regards.

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by blondandfun

How can you turn your back on something you didn't help/agree to build in the first place?

How can you blatantly ignore the importance of rapid transit while living in a region of over 5 million people?

[blondandfun]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

How can you blatantly ignore the importance of rapid transit while living in a region of over 5 million people?

If it's unprofitable now how is expanding it going to be profitable?

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by blondandfun

If it's unprofitable now how is expanding it going to be profitable?

Government services aren't supposed to be profitable.

[SAAN]

If marta cuts services it will probably be the buses. I cant recall how many empty marta buses i see rolling by all the time. The trains are bad enough as it is running every 10 mins during rush and 15-20 off peak. So any worse and most people that have cars will probably just drive to work unless gas hits $4 again.

A Zone system will not work because many people like me wil not pay $5-6 a day to ride from the end of the line.

One problem with dowtown Atl compared to NYC or DC is that you can still somewhat find a parking spot that wont cost too much. In those cities there is no where to park that wont cost you alot of money, so many people have to take the train.

But Marta also needs to improve on current problems in order to attract more riders.
-After hawks/thrasher games there should not be thousands of people on the platform waiting 15 mins for a train in which they all cant fit on, then have to wait another 15 mins and then have to wait 20 mins for another if they transfer at 5pts.

-For a transit system that runs trains 10 mins apart and has modern trains with most of the old ones refurbed now, that are way too many delays. And alot of buses are late simply because the driver didnt leave the end of the line on time (ive been on many of these in the past), not because of traffic excuse marta claims most of the time.

-And there needs to be more police presence on the trains to tone down the the amount of loud vulgar behavior and beggars on the east/west/south lines. Dont believe that crap about undercover cops on Marta trains, i asked one i knew and they dont do that anymore.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

How can you blatantly ignore the importance of rapid transit while living in a region of over 5 million people?

One can be critical of an existing mass transit implementation (e.g., MARTA) while still being in favor of mass transit in general.

Even though mass transit doesn't benefit me, for example, I certainly support CCT in Cobb County. I know people who use it, and it seems to work well for them. But I'm a lot less certain about MARTA, which really doesn't go anywhere I need to go in the metro.

[blondandfun]

Maybe some people support buses and don't support a train? I personally don't understand why we can't have buses going around the perimeter with bus stops on every exit? The infrastructure is there all you have to do is install waiting booths.

Seems to me like the people who run marta who all live in the city want the suburbanites to pay their salary and they don't want to give up their power.