The interim general manager wants to take the transit system from “good” to “great” by enhancing safety, reliability, and customer service.
“Atlanta has a good transit system. However, MARTA staff, patrons and the region isn’t satisfied with good,” Jonathan Hunt, interim general manager and CEO of MARTA, said during a briefing last week. “This is why we’re going to go from good to great.
“Getting from good to great, however, will require some short-term discomfort for long-term gain,” Hunt added. “Our vision is to deliver a safe, clean and reliable transit through routine excellence every day.”
Hunt said his near-term goals for the authority include improving operational efficiency, enhancing the safety and security of the system, advancing key projects, and ensuring MARTA is World Cup-ready.
Key initiatives include hiring an operational consultant, reducing absenteeism, maintaining infrastructure without service interruptions, and stepping up system safety.
During Labor Day, MARTA served more than 420,000 customers without incidents. Upcoming projects include a next-gen bus network, new fare gates, and station upgrades.
MARTA plans to add 30 more sworn officers. MPD will be fully staffed at roughly 250 officers by the end of the fourth quarter. Hunt said that violent crime has been reduced by half over the last five years and is down 16% from last year.
“We know data doesn’t make people safe, and if the perception is that the system is unsafe, we have work to do,” Hunt said. “But we are encouraged by our trends, and we’re going to continue to work to help shake and reshape that perception by delivering an even safer system. We’re going to go from good to great.”
Hunt also launded MARTA’s fiscal position.
“Many of our peer agencies are facing devastating financial outlooks, deep cuts to service personnel and capital projects in order to meet ends meet,” Hunt said. “I’m happy to report that MARTA’s financial house is in order.”
MARTA has an AA-plus rating from Fitch and AAA ratings from Standard & Poor’s and Kroll.
“Those are not easy to achieve, and we are one of but a few agencies to achieve those goals,” Hunt said. “We are going to protect those. We are going to remain budget conscious, and we are not going to have any service cuts.”
