ATLANTA — Starting Monday morning, MARTA is suspending more than 60 bus routes amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Channel 2′s Audrey Washington talked to MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker, who said he knows it will be an inconvenience, but the decision to suspend routes will keep more people safe.
[SPECIAL SECTION --> Latest on coronavirus in Georgia and around the world]
Watch Channel 2 Action News for LIVE hour-by-hour updates. Get extended coverage on the free WSB Now app on your Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV.
“We’ve been limiting to about 20 people per bus, so we need more buses to provide the same level of service," Parker said. “We’ve identified 41 routes that are the busiest and serve essential locations.”
Those 41 routes will keep running, but another 66 will be suspended.
Washington spoke to rider Patricia Montgomery, who said she usually takes two buses and a train to get to work at her job at a medical facility.Starting Monday morning, her bus routes will stop running.
“I don’t think they took into consideration that they are inconveniencing a lot of people to get to their jobs," Montgomery said. “We’ve been dealing with all kinds of patients. We’ve been testing a lot with the coronavirus.”
Montgomery said that now, she has no way to get to and from her job. She said using a rideshare company is out of the question.
“I can’t afford to take an Uber, because from my house, it cost like 35 to 40 dollars, one way," Montgomery said.
Parker had some advice for Montgomery about what to do.
“Work with your employer, with your friends and family, see if you can carpool to another bus route,” Parker said.
© 2020 Cox Media Group
