ATLANTA – The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) said it is reinforcing its commitment to keeping riders safe from COVID-19.
Starting today, MARTA will distribute as many as two million disposable masks for free to customers at transit stations.
“Since the onset of the pandemic, we have instituted safety precautions and new cleaning protocols in order to continue providing essential transit service while protecting our customers and employees,” MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker said in a news release.
“We are now asking our customers to join us in helping to stop the spread of this virus by wearing a mask while on MARTA,” Parker added. “We appreciate those riders who are wearing masks and understand you may not have access to masks or there may be a day you forget yours. We want you to know we’ve got you covered and to please take and wear a mask before boarding a bus or train.”
MARTA’s mask giveaway for customers will kick off between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. on weekdays. It will be expanded to weeknights and weekends, based on ridership demand. The program is expected to continue until further notice or public health recommendations change.
Customers needing a mask should look for a uniformed MARTA station agent or Transit Ambassador wearing a red “Team MARTA” shirt. To ensure everyone’s safety, each customer will select an individual mask from a tissue-like dispenser. Volunteers from transit advocacy groups including the MARTA Army and the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition are also planning to participate.
MARTA uses electrostatic sprayers to clean and sanitize its entire fleet of approximately 500 buses every evening and disinfect high touch surfaces on 200 buses throughout the day. MARTA’s rail cars are lightly cleaned while in-service and disinfected each night. The sprayers make frequent daily sanitizing of high touch areas in MARTA’s 38 rail stations easier and more efficient than the standard wipe down method.
