Riders Will Still Have To Pay For Streetcar When MARTA Takes Over
MARTA’s board voted Friday to continue charging riders when they take over the streetcar from the city on July 1.
Brenna Beech / WABE
Atlanta’s streetcar won’t be free again after all. MARTA’s board voted Friday to continue charging $1 per ride.
The board had considered dropping the fare when it takes control of the service from the city on July 1, but Chairman Robbie Ashe said it ultimately decided against the change.
“One concern that was raised is if the streetcar is free, then folks who decide to get on and ride for four or five hours at a time, there’s no way to ask them to leave,” he said.
The streetcar, which the city currently operates, was free for its first year starting in 2015. When the city imposed a fare, however, its ridership dropped by half.
Ashe said the agency is still concerned about ridership and it is looking at other means to attract more people to the streetcar.
“I think additional investment in extending it will be a good way to do that,” he said. “It’s certainly one of the things the city of Atlanta residents in 2016 were voting on.”
Ashe is referring to the half penny sales tax voters approved to fund more transit.
He says MARTA plans to use the money to build out the streetcar’s 2.7 mile route so that it connects to places like the eastside BeltLine trail.
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