ATLANTA — MARTA is now testing its rideshare program in new neighborhoods, providing options when it comes to public transportation.
In March, MARTA Reach began operations in three areas of metro Atlanta. The program has expanded on the east and west side and will eventually grow on the north and southside.
MARTA customer Lamar Visarraga said he can’t always rely on the bus that takes him to work and longs for more options.
“Sometimes I have to wait on the next bus because the previous bus never showed up,” said Visarraga. “If it ever happened on the last bus, a lot of people are walking.”
MARTA Reach involves sixteen vans available on-demand through a smartphone app. The cost is $2.50 for a ride anywhere in the van’s designated area of operation. Passengers can then transfer for free onto a bus or train.
The Collier Heights neighborhood, Dixie Hills, as well as the Bankhead and Westlake MARTA stations are now part of the areas of operation on the eastside. The program has expanded to include Avondale Estates and the Kensington Station on the eastside.
“We want to determine if this should be a larger, longer term part of MARTA service,” explained MARTA’s Anthony Thomas. "We’re trying to learn as much as we can.”
Later this month, the service will begin in Forest Park and Morrow to include Clayton State University and Southlake Mall on the southside and the city of Alpharetta on the northside.
Thomas explained that the service already has regular riders.
“It’s people who live slightly too far from our existing service, so they might have to walk 20-25 minutes to get to a bus,” he added.
It might be something for Visarraga to try the next time the wait for his bus drags on too long.