Big-6-in-26 on WACN 21 News

MARTA Flips the Switch on Better Breeze Contactless Fare System

Sat, 30 May 2026 14:00:00 -0400

MARTA riders walked up to fare gates across the Atlanta rail network Friday afternoon and did something that would have been unthinkable just months ago — they tapped a bank card, held up a phone, or flicked a smartwatch, and walked right through.

The transit authority’s Better Breeze contactless fare system went fully live on May 30, marking one of the most visible changes to the daily commuting experience in the system’s four-decade history.

MARTA Rolls Out NextGen Bus Network in Biggest Overhaul Since the 1970s

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 06:30:00 -0400

When MARTA buses rolled out of their depots before dawn Saturday, they followed a map that would have been unrecognizable to drivers just 24 hours earlier.

The transit authority’s NextGen Bus Network went live on April 18, replacing virtually every route in the system in what officials are calling the most comprehensive overhaul of Atlanta’s bus service since the original network was drawn more than half a century ago.

A System Built for a Different City

MARTA’s previous bus network was largely inherited from the Atlanta Transit System and had remained structurally similar since the 1970s. Routes followed legacy corridors that in many cases no longer reflected where Atlantans live, work, and travel.

MARTA Launches Reach On-Demand Microtransit in 12 Zones Across Metro Atlanta

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0500

For years, the knock on MARTA’s bus network has been straightforward: if you don’t live near a major corridor, the system doesn’t really work for you. On Saturday morning, the transit authority took its most ambitious step yet toward changing that.

MARTA Reach, a new on-demand microtransit service, began carrying passengers in 12 zones across the agency’s service area on March 7, giving riders in historically underserved neighborhoods a new way to connect to the broader transit network.