Q: What would you do to improve MARTA?

Asked at MARTA stations and stops in the Reporter Newspapers communities.

“More trains and buses – especially on the weekend.”
Stacy Dallas
“More buses, taking down prices a little bit. They change it every year. I’ve got a newborn and I have trouble with a stroller. There’s nowhere to put it.”
Brittany Linehouse
“I’d have more trains running more frequently than they do now. It doesn’t make any sense to have the trains like they do.”
Derunta Porter
“It’s fairly reliable as it is. Some people have a better connection. They’ve improved technology [to allow you] to know when the bus is coming round, but some people have the money for the [phones and] apps. I’m one of the people that use it. People who don’t have it probably don’t have the same view as I do.”
Dominic Daugherty
“Extend it out to Exit 17. I have to drive all the way down here to get the train. It’s a pain in the shorts.”
Jeff Camp
“MARTA is just a train you ride. I don’t see a problem, except they’re constantly raising the fare. When they increase the fair, it’s never by 50 cents, it’s $7 or $5 [on a multi-ride ticket] and that’s hard for us. It’s not fair.”
Jennifer Henry
“The escalators are always broken.”
Maria Valdez
“I think it works pretty well. My experience has been good.”
Robert James
“I would improve the fare box because a lot of times it fails and make sure the buses come on time.”
Saran Phillips
“More buses on this line [85 in Sandy Springs] because we wait for too long.”
Nelly Ekouba
“Run more frequently, a longer stretch of service, and for it to have vendors inside the stations.”
Ariane Mayfield
“Have bus service that correlates with the train service. If the train runs till
2 a.m., the buses should run till 2. I’ve been stuck before.”
Guy Baylor

Joe Earle

Joe Earle is Editor-at-Large. He has more than 30-years of experience with daily newspapers, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was Managing Editor of Reporter Newspapers.