MARTA Reach Aims to Address ‘First-Mile/Last-Mile’ Issue

Posted on: Apr 28, 2022

MARTA is taking an innovative approach to an age-old transit conundrum: How to attract more riders in neighborhoods where it can be just a bit too far to walk to the nearest rail station or bus stop.

In transportation circles, it’s known as the first-mile/last-mile challenge.

Enter MARTA Reach.

This pilot program enables riders to schedule a ride on a MARTA Reach shuttle bus to or from rail stations and bus stops within three “zones” – West Atlanta, near the H.E. Holmes rail station; Belvedere in central DeKalb County, south of the East Lake, Decatur, and Avondale stations; and the Gillem Logistics Center area in Clayton County, which includes several major bus routes.

Here’s how it works:

• Say you live near to the East Lake rail station in DeKalb County, but it’s too far to walk.
• You are able to schedule a MARTA Reach mini-bus to pick you up at the station and drop you off at the Reach “virtual stop” nearest to your destination, similar to Uber or Lyft.
• Rides cost $2.50, same as a rail or bus fare, and are scheduled by smartphone app or by calling MARTA Customer Service.
• It’s a ride-share service, so you’ll probably be traveling with a few other passengers.
• Wait times are about 15 minutes, depending on traffic and time of day.

Check out this nifty MARTA video explaining the service.

MARTA says it’s partnering on the 6-month pilot with Georgia Tech “to test how on-demand shuttles can be used to make it easier and faster for our riders to get to and from their destinations using MARTA … and expand the reach of our buses and trains.”

The coverage is extensive within the three zones. Here’s a map showing the MARTA Reach virtual stops in the Belvedere Zone, shown in red here. The blue circles are regular MARTA bus stops.