All I’m really trying to say here is that it’s not just transit that can’t pay it’s bills, it’s the whole darn transportation system…so you can’t argue against transit just because it’s financial model is screwed up, because highways aren’t an sustainable economic alternative.

So, if someone wants to argue in favor of a car-culture, they should be arguing convenience or something.

It was less than a year ago (January 1, 2001) that MARTA raised its one-way cash fare from $1.50 to $1.75, a whopping 17 percent increase (Click HERE for more information on the fare increase). The fare increase sparked citizen outrage, protests and hearings. A citizens coalition even filed a discrimination complaint with the Federal Transit Administration. Fulton and DeKalb residents were assured that the fair increase would solve the budget problem. The fare took place at the same time that MARTA opened two sparkling new stations (Sandy Spring and North Springs) in the northern suburbs. MARTA has a $20 million shortfall. In response to this $20 million deficit, nearly 100 MARTA bus routes throughout Atlanta, DeKalb and Fulton counties will be eliminated or reduced under a proposal unanimously approved by the board of directors. The cuts include eliminating 36 routes, eliminating weekend service on 26 routes, reducing weekend service on 35 routes, and reducing frequency of trains. It would also reduce the transcard discounts for students and bulk purchases. In addition to route cuts, other proposed cost-saving measures include two-week furloughs or unpaid leaves for 700 non-union administrative employees, including General Manager Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr. and his senior staff.

It is somewhat paradoxical that MARTA is expanding services outside of Fulton and DeKalb at the same time that it is cutting back services to its core riders. Only Fulton and DeKalb resident pay the one-cent sales tax to support MARTA. Yet, riders from outside MARTA’s taxing district reap the benefits of the three-decade old system. There is talk of running express buses all the way to Macon. Similarly, MARTA is assisting two outlying suburban counties (Gwinnett and Clayton) enter the transit field. Gwinnett and Clayton recently started bus systems – even in the sluggish Metro Atlanta economy. It is also ironic that these two suburban counties opted out of MARTA three decades ago, yet they have representatives that serve on MARTA’s board. The Gwinnett and Clayton MARTA board members voted a year ago for the fair increase and in December for the service cuts for Atlanta, Fulton, and DeKalb residents.

Clearly, MARTA needs state funding. This problem is not foreign to the state. For example, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) executive director, Catherine Ross, serves on the MARTA board. GRTA has the power and mandate to bring some sense to this chaotic public transit situation. GRTA has not flexed its muscle on regional transit. It has facilitated suburban systems (Gwinnett and Clayton) to come on line at the same time MARTA, the region’s most mature and far-reaching system, to falter. Current trends point toward the creation of “separate and unequal” transit systems in the region.

GRTA and the state need to act. The current patchwork of small suburban transit fiefdoms simply won’t work in the best interest of the region. Fulton and DeKalb residents have carried the regional transportation burden long enough. It is time for the state to provide leader and kick in funds to support regional transit. Georgia is one of 10 states does not provide state support for urban transit operations. Without state assistance in planning a regional transit system (seamless, linked, coordinated, and uniform fare structure), Fulton and DeKalb taxpayers will likely see an annual repeat of this shortsighted band-aid financial management. The MARTA cuts are expected to take effect by March 2002 and are expected to save $3.8 million this budget cycle and $15.1 million the following year. Before the proposed changes can take effect in March 2002, MARTA is required to hold public hearings. Comments can be sent to MARTA Customer Service custserv@itsmarta.com or visit MARTA’s website at http://www.itsmarta.com.