Streetcar Official Says MARTA Transfers Will Be Free and Seamless

A.J. Robinson says riders will be able to transfer from a MARTA bus or rail line to the streetcar for free.

“A MARTA ride will get you a ride on the Streetcar,” said Robinson, the head of the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, which along with the city will provide the bulk of operating funds for the system.

David Emory, of Atlanta’s Citizens for Progressive Transit, said given MARTA’s experience working with private contractors, he doesn’t anticipate transferring issues. 

“For example, Cobb (County) buses accept MARTA Breeze cards so I think these private operators are prepared for the owner of the service to set the terms of how fare collection works and in the case of the Streetcar, making sure it works with Breeze technology,” said Emory.

Outside of free transfers from MARTA, Robinson says the tentative plan is to charge riders a dollar per ride. After someone’s third ride, the rest of the day would be free.

An outstanding issue involves plans to operate only two of the city’s four streetcars during service hours. That means wait times between vehicles would be 15 minutes. Transit advocates say the system would be far more useful if more than two cars are running at a time and headways are under 10 minutes.

For now, Robinson is shooting for increased service just during peak times.

“There’s plans to do special events, particularly when there’s big activities downtown – conventions, football games – but the question is just cost. If we can identify the resources…we want to do better, that’s the goal,” said Robinson.

The streetcar, which will run from Centennial Olympic Park to the Martin Luther King memorial site, is set for completion in May.