The Atlanta City Council has approved an ordinance authorizing Mayor Kasim Reed to transfer all Atlanta Streetcar operations, staffing, maintenance and other functions over to Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) next year.
The USD 99 million tram opened in December 2014 but failed to meet ridership expectations. Moreover, state auditors found dozens of problems with staffing and safety and security procedures, problems that lingered even after the state threatened to shut the streetcar down last year.
MARTA has agreed to take over the streetcar and will pay for streetcar operations with proceeds from the half-penny sales tax for MARTA approved in November.
Share on: