Fewer Atlantans are taking the train, but MARTA says numbers are off

ATLANTA - Ridership on MARTA trains has dropped in the last year, according to new data from the Federal Transit Administration.

It shows a six percent decline in 2024, missing MARTA's own projections. 

That equates to about two million fewer trips compared to 2023, despite Atlanta’s population boom.

That's concerning to Darin Givens, an advocate for public transit.

"In Atlanta, it's particularly concerning because we have seen such huge population growth here in the last several years," said Givens, who founded ThreadATL, a transit advocacy organization.

MARTA leaders did not agree to an on-camera interview with FOX 5, but a spokesperson emailed a statement. 

"We are confident that the observed decrease in rail ridership is not real," said Payson Schwin, MARTA's communication manager. "But instead due to a steady increase in faregates not reporting Breeze card taps."

Schwin also said fewer people in Atlanta depend on public transit, and more workplaces have hybrid models.

What we know:

According to the Federal Transit Administration, MARTA’s rail ridership dropped by two million trips in 2024. 

The decline comes even as Atlanta’s real estate market thrives, especially near transit centers and train stations.

MARTA representatives argue that the numbers do not reflect reality, attributing the decrease to malfunctioning faregates that fail to record Breeze card taps.

"We are still working to uncover the root cause of why the data started to go missing, which has made it more challenging to fix," Schwin said. "Our faregates vendor Cubic has intensified their efforts to fix faregates that aren’t reporting Breeze data, and we are encouraged by a noticeable decrease in the number of faregates not reporting data in the past month. Our teams will continue to track this issue going forward."

The other side:

Advocates like Darin Givens challenge MARTA’s explanation, believing broken faregates are not solely responsible, given the booming real estate market. 

"I don't buy that this problem of the fare gates and of the Breeze card readers being broken is completely to blame," Givens said. 

However, he acknowledges that many faregates and Breeze machines on buses are in disrepair. Since MARTA heavily relies on fare revenue, this issue impacts the agency more than others.

The backstory:

MARTA’s rail system was originally designed for office commuters, Givens said. 

But the pandemic and shifting work patterns have left downtown with a lot of empty office towers.

He believes the transit system must adapt to better serve Atlanta’s evolving needs.

What's next:

MARTA says it is replacing every turnstile across the system to allow for credit card and mobile payments, the spokesperson said. 

The upgrades are expected to be completed in time for the 2026 World Cup. Advocates stress the need for increased weekend and non-commuter service to ensure MARTA remains a viable option for all types of travelers.