MARTA

Riders’ Advisory Council

MARTA is always looking for innovative ways to better serve our customers and our community. As part of that ongoing effort, MARTA created its first-ever Riders’ Advisory Council in 2020 with the goals of deepening public understanding about how we operate, gathering valuable feedback, and advancing customer-focused initiatives that improve the overall transit experience. Find out more about the council and how it is helping MARTA achieve its mission: Providing safe multimodal transit services that advance prosperity, connectivity and equity for a more livable region.

Q: What is the Riders’ Advisory Council (RAC)?

A: The RAC is an all-volunteer group of people from different backgrounds who live and work in metropolitan Atlanta and devote their time and energy to make MARTA better.

Q: Why did MARTA establish the RAC?

A: The RAC is a major component of a long-term commitment to change the way MARTA conducts business and make the agency more responsive to our customers. MARTA believes in giving customers a meaningful voice and actively listening to what they have to say.

Q: How many people are on the RAC and how long do they serve?

A: There are 30 RAC members all of whom serve two-year terms.

Q: Who are the RAC members?

A: The RAC is comprised of people who represent a diverse cross-section of the communities MARTA serves in Fulton, DeKalb, and Clayton counties and the City of Atlanta. MARTA employees, contractors and elected officials are not eligible to serve on the RAC.

Q: How are the RAC members selected?

A: The finalists are selected based on factors such as ridership habits, commuting experiences and community involvement. However, they all agree on the importance of having a first-class transit system for metro Atlanta.

Q: How often does the RAC meet and what do they do?

A: The RAC meets the first Wednesday of every month. Members hear presentations from MARTA’s top leadership and staff on a wide range of topics including finance, transit planning, major bus and rail projects, arts and cultural initiatives, transit-oriented development and much more. In addition to open discussions on such topics and site visits to transit facilities, RAC members use a dedicated crowdsourcing portal to recommend their own ideas on how to improve MARTA.

Q: Are RAC meetings open to public and do members vote?

A: The RAC plays a strictly advisory role and no votes are taken. The meetings are not open to the public but monthly meeting summaries and RAC presentations are posted on this web page.

Q: Who manages the RAC and presides during the meetings?

A: MARTA Chief Customer Experience Officer Rhonda Allen is responsible for the RAC meetings with support from her staff in the department of customer experience. Ms. Allen reports directly to MARTA’s GM/CEO.

Q: I’m interested in becoming an RAC member, how can I do that?

A: Anyone 18 and over who meets the eligibility requirements can apply to be an RAC member. The next application cycle will open at the end of the incumbents’ term in 2024. If you are interested in becoming a member, please email questions or comments to rac@itsmarta.com.

Q: How can I find out more about the RAC?

A: Please send an email to rac@itsmarta.com . This inbox is monitored and we will reply to inquiries as soon as possible.

Meet MARTA’s Riders’ Advisory Council for 2024-2026


Sade	Guadalupe	Victoria	Noah	Jenna

Ben	Gee	Julia	Laura	Mark

Stephen	Erin	Branden	Natashah	Kirk

Malachi	Sofia	Whytne	Sharon	Valerie

Sade Alao	Natashah Sbaity
Guadalupe Bravo	Ben Shivers
Victoria Chapman	Dr. Malachi Simmons Jr
Noah Crafts	Sofia Stafford
Jenna Daniel	Whytne Stevens
Julia Lee	Mark Taylor
Laura Mitchell	Sharon Wallace
Gee Pegram	Kirk Wilcox
Stephen Pellicer	Valerie Williams
Erin Salvaggio
Branden Saunders