FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1,
2022
MARTA LAUNCHES ON-DEMAND
TRANSIT PILOT PROGRAM
MARTA Reach Provides
Rideshare Service in Clayton, DeKalb, & Fulton Counties
ATLANTA – The
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), in partnership with
Georgia Tech, announces the launch of MARTA Reach, a six-month pilot
rideshare service designed to connect riders to-and-from MARTA bus and rail.
MARTA Reach will test how on-demand shuttles can be used to make it easier and
faster for customers to get to their destinations using MARTA and help minimize
waiting and walking.
“This pilot program combines on-demand rideshare
with public transit, providing personal transportation at a low cost, and will
be a vital connection to the larger MARTA system for those customers in areas
underserved by transit,” said MARTA Interim General Manager Collie Greenwood.
“I’m eager to see how it’s used, it’s efficiency, and whether the program could
be adopted and expanded to help complement our upcoming bus network redesign.”
MARTA Reach is available beginning today,
Tuesday, March 1, in West Atlanta, Belvedere, and Gillem Logistics Center and
costs the same as a MARTA fare, $2.50. The service runs from 6 a.m. until 7
p.m. Monday through Friday and is a ridesharing service, meaning other
passengers may be picked up and dropped off during your trip.
“This on-demand
service will provide a much-needed solution for folks that need dependable
transportation. There are about 2,500 employees within Gillem Logistics complex
across 17 business that have employees that need reliable transportation. This
on-demand service should have a positive impact on Kroger’s ability to attract
and retain people wanting to work,” said Kroger Fulfillment Center General
Manager David Matthews.
Professor Pascal Van Hentenryck and Georgia
Tech’s Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) team is providing the
technology, including routing logic, and rider, operator, and administrator
system apps for the project.
“MARTA’s leadership is very forward-thinking,
and they are working to determine the future of public transportation,” said
Van Hentenryck. “They have been extremely collaborative throughout the process
and provided us with vast amounts of data and insights to drive the
process.”
“Georgia Tech’s mission calls us to develop leaders who
advance technology and improve the human condition. To use our
research and expertise to improve lives and livelihoods. That’s
why we’re here. We’re grateful for the opportunity, for the support of
MARTA and the National Science Foundation, and for the great work by
Professor Van Hentenryck’s team,” said Ángel Cabrera, President, Georgia Institute of
Technology.
To order a ride download the MARTA Reach app from your smartphone’s
mobile app store. The app will guide you to designated pick-up and drop-off
stops near the beginning or end of your trip. If there’s not a stop where you’d
like, you can request additional stop locations in the app. Riders who do not
have a smartphone can call MARTA Customer Service at 404-848-5000 to request a
ride. All MARTA Reach vehicles are wheelchair and stroller accessible. See
attachment for more details on how to access MARTA Reach.
MARTA
and Georgia Tech Research Cooperation received a $1 million grant last
fall from the U.S. National Science Foundation to pilot the program. Learn more https://itsmarta.com/reach.aspx
Questions? Email Reach@itsmarta.com.
Electronic
press kit including video on how to call a MARTA Reach EPK - OneDrive (live.com).
Georgia Tech
launch event photos Dropbox - MARTA Reach Photos - Simplify
your life.
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Click here to download the MARTA Reach Fact Sheet