FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2022
MARTA INTERIM GM/CEO DISCUSSES FUTURE OF PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION AT UNITED FOR INFRASTRUCTURE SUMMIT
ATLANTA – Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Interim
General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood joined local, state, and regional
transportation and infrastructure leaders today at United for Infrastructure’s
Lead with Infrastructure: Southeastern Summit held in Atlanta. Greenwood
participated in a discussion on investing in metro Atlanta’s transportation
future and highlighted the important role public transit and its continued
expansion play in economic opportunity and development.
The summit was focused on what the recently passed bipartisan
infrastructure law means for Georgia and featured keynote addresses from Mayor
of the City of Atlanta Andre Dickens and Georgia Department of Transportation
Commissioner and MARTA Board Member Russell McMurry, and began with recorded
remarks from Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator to
President Joe Biden.
“The bipartisan infrastructure law allows us to be more ambitious in
undertaking expansion and improvement projects,” said Greenwood. “Thanks to the
efforts of Georgia Senators Ossoff and Warnock, we have more projects eligible
for the Small Starts program including Clayton Southlake bus rapid transit
which recently advanced to the project development phase of the federal
program. This BRT will improve mobility and create new economic opportunities
in Clayton County.”
Greenwood was part of a breakout panel discussion, during which he
talked about the pandemic’s impact on transit ridership and strategies for
attracting and retaining customers including offering more frequent service
outside of traditional peak commuting times and restructuring fare products to
better align with the increase in remote work.
“If someone is only going into the office two days a week, a monthly
pass may not best meet their needs,” added Greenwood. “We need to examine
ridership patterns observed during COVID and adjust to provide more frequent,
more reliable service at times and for a price that is attractive to those who
typically commute by car. We also need to continue our focus on customer
service with improvements to real-time service information and amenities that
make taking transit convenient and enjoyable.”
Greenwood also highlighted MARTA projects that hint at the future of
public transportation such as the recently launched MARTA Reach pilot program,
an on-demand app-based transit service that works like Uber or Lyft, and
provides first- and last-mile connectivity to the larger MARTA system.
The panel discussion included Chris Tomlinson, Executive Director of
the State Road & Tollway Authority, Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority,
Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, and MARTA Board Member, Siemens USA
Head of Future Grid and eMobility Solutions John DeBoer, and was moderated by
CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation Robert Puentes.
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