MARTA for the infrequent traveler staying downtown is a fantastic option from the airport. A buck seventy five and 20 minutes with good signage and friendly MARTA ambassadors (must be for the tourist and convention areas) is the way to go. As long as you can read signs (north, south, east, west) you should be good. No graffiti seen at the stations we traveled and this 13 yr old system is smooth and clean. read more

I liked MARTA! It was clean and got me from Georgia Tech to the airport without any trouble. If you ignore the weird homeless guys and the guys who try to con you out of your ticket, the system is awesome. I come from California, so it's refreshing to see a cheap efficient public transportation system. Wish SF/bay area public transport was this cheap (outside of muni) :( read more

MARTA, how I want to like thee? The only reason I have willfully taken MARTA is to go to a sporting event where parking would be an expensive cluster-whut, or the Inman Park Festival where there is absolutely no parking unless you are a lucky duck. If it weren't for the fact the Candler Park Station is a few blocks from my house, I would only use it for very freaking special occasions. It's a rather poor excuse for mass- transit that could be so much better, if the powers that be would work on it for more than 30 seconds a year. That's all I got on this topic. read more

MARTA=SMARTA..... I'm sorry but I love Marta. It gets me from point A to B. Marta goes just about everywhere. If you see movies, music videos, news that is shot in atlanta you always see a Marta bus or Marta train in the background. Also I would like to thank Marta, they sent us a free bus to my apartments last year in March 2008. The tornado affect my area and they took us to the near shelter for free and [provide us with a monthly also for free. I love marta, you will see some of the most interesting things. So if you need a funny laugh or would like to explore Atlanta. MARTA IS FOR YOU read more

***Revised Review**** Okay I rode Marta last night for the Green concert at Piedmont, and it turns out that it was not as bad as I made it out to be in my first review of the mediocre transport system. With that being said, I still think that a trolley system would benefit Atlanta more than a subway that is still in pretty poor shape, despite the new paint, and breeze card system. The bathrooms were very disgusting, with an appearance that led me to believe they had not been cleaned for months. The staff were trying to be really helpful, since this was their chance to shine for a crowd of 50,000 that was being forced to ride Marta on this particular night. They were on my good side until we were trying to get into the bathroom, and one of the male staff members unlocked it for us, and then immediately began to blatantly stare at every single girl's butt that was in my group, with no effort to be even somewhat nonchalant. Good effort Mr. Marta, but I am only going to raise your rating by one star. Sorry. Give me a call though when you decide to make some real changes. *********First Review******************** Dear Mr. Marta, I avoid riding your train at all costs. A mass transit system is something that every city needs. Mass transit helps the environment and saves everyone money on gas. But just because you are doing the environment a favor does not mean that you should start acting like a dirty hippie and never clean yourself. Your smell has become quite a cause for concern among your daily visitors. Don't take this personal Mr. Marta, but I would rather truck it to the city on my childhood bicycle that does not allow me to pedal without my knees hitting the handle bars than ride your stupid train. Actually, that would take a long time, I'll just invest in a hybrid and drive it with smug look on my face and judge people who drive SUVs. Mr. Marta, the interior of your train is historic looking, which can sometimes be a good thing, but not when it comes to the color scheme in your train. The interior of your train is still painted with some of the cheesy colors that were tremendously popular in the late 70's early 80's (molded cheese yellow and faded orange, similar to the color of the one star rating that I gave in my review.) Please Mr. Marta, change the colors inside the train. The Brady Bunch had their series finale a long time ago. It is time to move forward. Mr. Marta, I realize that you try to make everyone safe by hiring security guards and having Atlanta police stop by the train every now and then. But your security guys look like they are pushing 60 and the cops in Atlanta have quite a history of being incompetent. Mr. Marta, when it really boils down to it, I think it may be time to let another company buy your transit system. It is not that we hate you, it's just that you really suck at what you do. I hope we can still be friends though. read more

I kinda like MARTA. I'm not some weird masochist or something, either. It's just a little planning beforehand, and you're there in plenty of time. Since I hate to drive, I'd rather just relax, listen to my ipod, and let someone else do the driving. Of course, I've only taken the train, because I have an aversion to city buses... read more

A cab from ATL to my hotel was $35.00 each way. MARTA was $2.50. It was probably because I was riding around the time people were getting off work, and therefore my fellow passengers were not heathen miscreants, but the people were actually really nice. The Breeze card is GENIUS. I have only used those cheap paper cards at BART & DART. My only real complaint are the elevators: good Lord they smell like ammonia and piss. Clean those damn things! read more

I recently moved from Philly and I must say that the MARTA is an upgrade to what I am accustomed to. It is not the cleanest public transportation and doesn't drop you off exactly where you want to go, but it works for me. I live right near a station on the NS line, so it is efficient. It brings me to work quick, the trains run frequently, and it isn't as dirty as some city's transportation that I have been on. Overall, if you live near a station it is great. I have not taken the bus because I feel it defeats the purpose, you're still getting stuck in traffic. I used the MARTA for the simple fact that I can get to work, the airport and buckhead quickly. Like I said, it is not perfect, but it works great for what I need it for. read more

I'd been riding MARTA for years before attempting to tackle NYC's famed subways and upon returning home, Atlanta's rails felt like Brio. But hey, the trains arrive, they get where they go, the doors open and close and the system is easily navigable. The bus system, however--obviously stretched due to the trains' relatively short range (why no Perimeter line?)--is a terrible beast to have to rely on. Collect their schedules in your wallet, reference them often, watch the printed times fly past as the buses show up late. Bring a book and your iPod. And a good pair of shoes. read more

I'll keep this review focused on the train system. I can sum it up in one word: BORING. Now, I know most people would not rate a public transportation system on entertainment value, but c'mon, people, if MARTA were an ice cream flavor, it'd be vanilla. The cheap store-brand kind too. For the sake of transparency, I have to say I moved down here from New York City so it's really not fair to compare the subway systems of the 2 cities. That being said, I'm gonna do it anyway. I'll give MARTA 2 stars because it does actually get you to the airport quickly and efficiently (something NYC's does not). Plus, if you wanted to explore the downtown - Buckhead corridor, MARTA is a great way to avoid the traffic on the highway. The train arrival boards are helpful too. Other than that, my God, it's too clean, too quiet, too blah! Where are the random people walking through performing music, doing magic, telling stories? A city's public transportation should act like the arteries that carry the city's life blood from its heart to its extremities and vice versa. But, since most people are in their cars, you don't get that amazing eclectic hodge podge of people taking MARTA. And, honestly, placing the lines along virtually the same axis as the major highways was somewhat illogical. If ever the economic crisis subsides, MARTA should be expanded - a lot! read more

Love-Hate relationship. I love that it costs me just a few bucks to take MARTA from Brookhaven to the Georgia Dome for games. I hate that I usually end up sitting in a sticky seat next to a drunk guy who smells like a Burlington Coat Factory. read more

I live close enough to the Brookhaven station for airport rides, which I take a few times a year. Decent. Generally quiet and inexpensive, if smelly. For everyday getting to places my car is absolutely superior to MARTA in every way. It's faster. It's more comfortable. I can stop by any place I want any time. I can put stuff in the trunk. Bad Atlanta traffic is often exaggerated--unless you must take one of most congestion-prone highways/streets during rush hour, it is easy to drive around and park provided you are familiar with the area. Bus is supposedly way worse than the train. I've not had to take it and don't care to try. read more

Solid 3 stars, but my review is ONLY for the trains. MARTA is about as average as public transportation gets. It definitely gets the job done, and is very reliable with regards to its time since trains come rather often, except on weekends. I also rather appreciate the fact that while inside the MARTA stations and trains there is usually never people peddling, which is somewhat surprising since around Atlanta that is rather common. It's a small convenience which shows they care about their service at least to that extent. MARTA is a great service; I use it EVERY time I need to go to the airport and it has yet to make me miss a flight, or even be late. It's also great for going to local events where parking would be hard to find, such as the Dogwood festival last weekend. read more

ok first Im from AZ and rode the bus there for over 2 years.....and spent 2 years sometimes in LA rideing the metro/bus....... Yeah tvs with News with subtitles and Radio with difrent langues etc very cool.... I didn't notice a smell when on the train so thats good...or my nose is broken... yes a very long wait to get on....30min but thats like the avrage wait for a bus in Phx...(yes its that bad...) but yes LA's metro is cleaner and more offten... I also wish that the stations where beter Labled...or labeled on the bus stops...on Peachtree and 15th street...Im glad I asked someone because I would never had found it right around the corner.... oh and I wish the bus stops had Maps of the routes of the buses but I guess thats for another review... read more

The experience of using riding MARTA varies widely from day to day. Frequently it varies widely from car to car. I think it is safer than driving on the downtown connector. Sure, you will occasionally dodge bums and lunatics, which is even less fun than dodging SUVs on 75/85, but if it gets really bad you can always jump off and change cars or even wait for another train. (Waiting for another train is necessary when drunk or crazy people start moving from car to car, yelling and begging.) Sometimes there are bad smells and broken escalators and uncomfortably tight quarters. Sometimes it is quiet and clean and perfectly ok. I have only been stuck on the train a couple of times in the past 6 months. Overall, I agree with many reviewers that Atlanta public transportation sucks. read more

There are simple things MARTA could do to improve - dedicated entrance/exits, better signage, maps for the location of each station instead of 5 points at every one, ventilation (it's frickin' hot down there) and don't even get me started on the idiocy of the new turnstiles. It's not that they do everything poorly...most things, but I believe it involves a local culture adverse to mass transit. People just don't know escalator etiquette or even the basics of how to allow people out of the train. If the heavy users from the burbs don't want to help with the costs of running the system, it will never improve. I think they should raise the parking costs to a modern level comparable to other cities. Maybe that'll get commuters interested in mass transit. This is a car culture and unless you have tons of time to ferry yourself through the bus and trains, you really need a car here. But, walking is never crowded, well, most times. The two stars are a token for existing and allowing me to get to work without using my car. read more

Female Driver on Bus 42 at Lakewood Station (S4)... driving Bus #1931 refused to let passengers enter her bus during chilly _ frigid temperature s, because she had to get off the bus to use the Restroom. With low temperatures, paying passengers should be allowed to enter to get some warmth. read more

Let me first start by saying that I don't normally encounter too many issues when using the bus system, but this past week the service to routes #84 and #2 have been TERRIBLE. Last Friday I spent an hour and a half waiting for the #84 to arrive at my stop. When the bus finally arrived it was crowded and the driver offered no explanation for hold up. I was late to work. I ran into trouble today while on route #2. I have several complaints in general about this route. It makes no sense that I have to wait 30 to 45 minutes for one bus while routes #102 and #26 seem to show up every 15 minutes. I would take an alternate route, but the #2 is the only bus that travels near the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. It is really inconvenient since many people visit there and have to wait absurd wait times to even visit. On my way to work today the bus simply stopped working. The bus in question was one of the newer models. I'm concerned if even the newer buses are having trouble functioning, much less the older ones. I leave for work 2 hours early just in case I run into issues or miss a bus. This particular bus left at 10:20. There was supposed to be one right behind it, but it took an hour to finally arrive. I was late again. This can't keep happening. I leave for work early and I pay my fare to ride the bus, please do your job to ensure that I'll have a safe and timely ride to work and home. Also, don't tell me about your phone app. The information I find from it is usually inaccurate. read more

I always come home from things late at night or on weekends and I'm like "fucking hell, when I get home I am reviewing fucking annoying MARTA about how much it sucks." But, it does have its positives and negatives.. to dwell on the negatives first...which is really just one thing beyond the obvious problems... Why don't these assholes have a northbound train about to show up at Five Points after something at Philips Arena? Ten billion people get off the train there from the eastbound train and we all have to wait "fifteen minutes." Of course, the clock does not change for 3 minutes, so "fifteen." It pisses me off every time. Thus, I come home already pissed off I wasted money on something at Philips Arena and want to attack MARTA on Yelp. And of course I can't drive down there because every idiot from the north suburbs who is afraid of MARTA has clogged the streets. It goes where I want. I live within walking distance, so getting to school is awesome. It sucks when you just miss a train, but I really feel like I have more moments of perfect timing where I wait a minute, or someone totally awesome keeps the doors from closing as I flail and run to the train. There are people who are annoying as fuck, but as long as you're not an idiot, they are easy as hell to ignore. Pretend you don't speak English, become really interested in your phone's blank screen, start reading something really intense. I am not interested in giving you money for crack, and I am not throwing away your little flyer on how Halloween is satanic. Thanks. I am kind of sad it took over a year for me to get to see someone getting arrested off a train, and I barely realized it was happening. Yay MARTA! #Yelp365 - 62/365 read more

It gets me from point A to point B whenever I visit Atlanta. I dont' like the scheduling, but it beats taking the bus.

Is MARTA great? I mean, no. It is a train system, it is full of people who smell unbelievably bad (you know the smell), and it can be a bit inconsistent. But I am not going to give it less than 5 stars, there is no way. It is public transportation, and I am really giving 5 stars to the other people like me who take it every day. It saves a MASSIVE amount of money, especially since my internship pays for my monthly pass. I virtually never drive my car anymore. While train routes are limited, the buses go pretty much everywhere you need to go, they run pretty regularly, and they are incredibly underused. I am convinced that most people in the city do not have a clue where MARTA buses go, or even that they are allowed to take them. Here is a PDF map of the entire Atlanta transit system. Not too shabby! http://itsmarta.com/080607-TPB-Interior-FINAL-no%20Ad.pdf It allows for a nice, relaxing commute, especially if you put on your headphones and close your eyes. Beats Atlanta traffic! It allows you to get where you need to go without adding to Atlanta traffic, to air pollution or to padding the pockets of oil companies and middle-eastern countries by blowing all of your freaking money on gasoline. It takes a bit longer, but it is worth every minute. Want MARTA to be better?? Support it! Ride it! Demand it! People who think MARTA sucks are the people who are responsible for it sucking in the first place. UPDATE: Downgraded to 3 stars because of the co-riders. People on MARTA smell. They just smell sooo bad I can't stand it. Literally, so bad I I can barely ride it anymore. A consistent reek. read more

Please note that this review is very old, but as i grew up taking MARTA everyday, when i saw it was on yelp to review, i feel obligated. Also, I took the bus system daily, not the trains, which i feel are actually fairly quick, although i cannot judge their maintenance to schedules. The bus system growing up was a NIGHTMARE. As my parents would not arrange to have myself and my little sister picked up from school, yet forced me to switch from my far superior private school to a 'nearby' one, i had to take marta every day to and from school. I waited literally about an hour every single day for my bus after school, and if looks could kill, i think i would have died from the looks that every single person on those buses gave me. i was jsut a freaking kid! why hate a kid riding a bus?! also, frequently the bus would speed by without even seeing me. glorious. a handfull of times i actually walked home as it was always a toss up which would be faster--waiting for the bus for an hour or walking for an hour home? my best friend's car was in the shop once, and she took marta with me for the first time ever (on a train). she was so scared and felt so hated that she never again rode atlanta public transit. also, now having lived in a variety of cities--paris, new york, seattle, san francisco, new orleans--i must say that the atlanta transit system paled in comparison to ALL, save new orleans (which i cant imagine how i would operate, if i actually still HAD to take public transit /hadn't owned a car while in nola.). That said, this was all years ago, so i hope for my former hometown and birthplace, that the MARTA system has improved. read more

Marta is extremely convenient alternative to driving. They permit drunk passengers, thus allow you no require a DD when stumbling home from a bar and the trains run somewhat frequently (except on weekends!!!!). They are decently clean; I have yet to locate puddles of urine in the seats, like I have in other cities (cough cough NY). I haven't been asked for money while within the complex, but I have outside. Marta is also a great place to meet beautiful women. There aren't that many that use Marta, but when they do, they sit their bored screaming for a man to talk with them. The bus system is extremely confusing and scary. If you are not of African descent, be warned. read more

MARTA isn't perfect, but then again, nothing is. I was/am a commuter, and drove everywhere like most Atlantans, but I have since seen the light. I swear a lot of you act like a bunch of spoiled brats. Instead of finding out the who, what, when , where and why's of MARTA, you just complain, complain, complain. If you want to go somewhere in Atlanta, MARTA can get you there. It takes a bit if research, but it is possible. Now if you live in Gwinnett, Clayton or Cobb, blame your governments for not allowing MARTA to roll though your county, because that's what they did in the 80's and 90's. They didn't want the "bad element" coming into their neighborhoods. Now you all want traffic relief like yesterday, but you voted to not have it when traffic wasn't as bad. See we have these people called civil engineers, and they kinda like plan the future of cities, and they thought it would be great if MARTA went everywhere, but some selfish folks decided they liked being able to have cars, drive where they want and in an attempt to keep out poor urban folk -- who, by the way, hardly ever venture up north to infiltrate your neighborhoods -- they essentially killed any chances of having traffic relief via public transportation. Anyway, I am continually surprised and impressed by MARTA. I'm an Atlanta native, and I used to think that MARTA didn't go where I needed to go, but it really does. As far north as Alpharetta and as far south as Palmetto and everywhere in between, it goes. Sure, the times can be like playing Russian Roulette, but I'm sure with more time and maybe MORE FUNDING, it will get better. Do you know how it's funded? A 1% sales tax only in the city of Atlanta (Decatur/DeKalb, I dunno if they have the sales tax for it). No millions from the state, no federal dollars, just sales tax. So to have the kind of system we have with that little bit of cash, I think they are doing an excellent job. If you don't like it, feel free to make ExxonMobil have another banner year for oil profits, then complain why gas prices keep rising. MARTA doesn't care because their fleet is powered by natural gas, and trains run on electricity. More points: 1) duane m complained about purchasing a Breeze card. They gave them away for free for almost a year while transitioning form the tokens. I got a free one when I was still driving everywhere, not even thinking about MARTA. You missed it. Get over it. 2) eric s. says he never picked up the train going to North Springs @ 5 Points. It goes there, just not after 9 pm. I ride it to Alpharetta Monday-Friday. Now, i do have some gripes about MARTA, some the same as previous commenters, but here goes: 1) It should run 24 hours, especially with us having the busiest airport in the world. Maybe shut down unused bus service, but keep those trains running at least. 2) I too am tired of looking at the old "rocks" that are plastered on the trains. Hire an interior decorator or something, 3. I HATE THE TRAINS WHEN THEY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STOPS FOR NO REASON!! KEEP MOVING! 4) The really old trains that smell and have carpet that looks like the worst public housing carpet need to be out of service until they are updated/cleaned/refreshed. That is ridiculous and creates a bad image for visitors and regulars alike. 5) Fix the displays so that they ALL work, and fix the recordings on the train. Sometimes I'm going to North Springs and it says we're bound for the Airport. 6) Commit to 90% or better uptime for the displays that tell you when a train is coming. I hate it when they are broken or display incorrect information. 7) I think a cool feature would be to have GPS on the buses so you could look online to see where they are. Then you would know exactly when you need to go to a stop instead of having to arrive a few minutes early or guessing/praying it will come and hasn't left. Generally I think the system has come a long way, and if people really push for changes, attend the meetings and keep using the system, it will continue to serve everyone better. read more

Oh.. Marta is smarta.. but wow I am not a fan. You can see some funny characters on here.. just hope you won't see someone peeing in the corner of your bus (not speaking from personal experience, but my friends have!) Seriously, if you get on one of the newer blue and white trains they aren't THAT bad, but if you see the orange stuff on the rails--beware, hold your nose before entering. Whoever thought of putting carpet on a mass transit train should know better. The times aren't very reliable, but I guess it does beat sitting in Friday traffic. read more

MARTA is a pretty poor excuse for a public transportation. all the taxis make fun of it. north south should go up to alpharetta then maybe it'd be worth it. let's see, one of the biggest burbs and now has the amphitheater and no public transport? obviously this might be due to other factors but shit, i don't like having to drive down to north springs (which is almost halfway to the airport) to get on the train to the airport. but in terms of cleanliness and comfort, marta is pretty nice... read more

marta will make you late for work even if you go to the station 30 minutes prior and There is no reason I should arrive to this train station early and be late to work because of them. Service is trash sometimes. read more

MARTA will have u about to lose your job because you don't know if they will arrive on time or if the trains are going to break down. Marta always have mechanical issues and its frustrating because they are aware of the amount of people that depend on public transportation to get them to & from work. Have the trains checked out normally instead of having people late for a job that assist with their livelihood. read more

MARTA just like every other transit system I have seen has it's major drawbacks. But in the grand scheme of things it will get you where you need to go through MOST of metro. I had to put my car in the shop for over a month and the only way to get back and forth to work was MARTA. I live in Lithonia, I work in Alpharetta, it's a thirty mile drive and normally an hour by car. MARTA takes longer, an hour and a half to possibly two but I didn't have to sit in traffic and caught up on a lot of reading. I still hop a bus or a train to get to busier events down town or to places I know have limited parking. Now it's not all peaches and cream, you need to be aware of your surroundings, there is a sketchier element that rides MARTA (and every other transit system) so just be aware that there are people that will try to mess with you if you look like a victim. Other than that kick back and enjoy the people watching. There is PLENTY TO SEE. read more

I go to Atlanta for a music festival every Sept./Oct. & have used MARTA every year; for someone coming in from out of town who needs to get to Midtown, MARTA is a godsend. Hop on at the airport, hop off across the street from my hotel; doesn't get any handier than that. Sure, the cars stink sometimes (as do some of the passengers), they can be rather overcrowded during traditional work traffic hours, & the fact that it doesn't run all night can be rather inconvenient if you need to get somewhere after 12-1 am. But for the most part, it is an awesome transit system, & I'll continue to use it every year. read more

There is a lot of room for improvement. While I do agree it is better than some cities, still it could be a little faster and more reliable. When I first started working in Dunwoody, I live downtown, I attempted to do the whole environmentally thing of public transit only to be repeled from it. I mean why would I spend 1 hour and a 1/2 to get somewhere that takes me 25 minutes on a good day and 40 minutes tops on a bad, bad day. I go against traffic. All I'm saying is please try to be comparable to the drive time. I know it is great for people who live up north and commute down, but for my reverse commute it is not practical. Between working full time and one class at GSU I cannot be spending 3 hours of my day commuting! AND now the funding cuts will only be making matters worse for those who HAVE to use the system. Thankfully downtown travel can be done on foot or bike. read more

Oh, MARTA, where would I be without your ridiculously inefficient transportation system. All those early morning commute would be so boring without all the interesting characters on my train, going to school is an adventure everyday. They got better with the train schedule board; I'm actually starting to trust it now. There are a lot of things I don't like about MARTA. For example, how some of the ticket kiosk don't recognize my debit card and how only 10% of all escalators actually function properly (and I'm quite certain they'll still be nonfunctional by the time my graduation rolls around) and how the fares are going up even with my student discount. I've never lived outside Atlanta so I can't compare it to other train systems. read more

this weekend we used MARTA to get downtown for the Dragon*con parade and gave ourselves 45 minutes to go 4 stops. It took 40 minutes and for 2 people cost the same as parking downtown. That's the last time we use MARTA.. read more

I just have a feeling that for every Atlanta Yelper who posted on here about MARTA, there are a large number of Atlantans (100? 1000?) who never ride MARTA, don't know it exists, think they'll immediately be shanked if they set foot on a MARTA train, etc. Given that, the crappiness of MARTA (which I've used every time I've been to Atlanta) shouldn't be that surprising. read more

Wow, nobody reviewed Marta. Well, here we go. First of all, some good things about Marta. 1) The train actually goes to the Airport. That blew me away, being that back in LA, you can't get to the airport by train - you have to drive there or take the stupid bus. It is a nice get ouf the the plane, pick up your luggage and then ride the train home. 2) Free parking. I use it a lot to drive to the station, park, then ride to downtown and get out (my job is only a 2-3 blocks from the station). That saved me at least 70 dollars in parking, plus gas. 3) The mix-used development around the train stations. Finally, they are getting around to putting Apartments and retail shops around Lindberg (I visited them and they are pretty decent). One can live next to the station and then go eat at the restuarant (Taco Mac, Chillis, etc) and not have to go very far away. Now for the bad stuff. 1) The trains are getting old. And it is pretty obvious just by walking in. Almost every week, you have a train that breaks down - although to their credit, they usually get up and running fairly quickly. 2) Weak bus system - and that's putting it mildly. For all practical purposes, there is NO viable bus service within the Atlanta perimeter. That makes it very difficult for somebody to get around the city without a car. If Marta were to be viable in the future as more people move into Atlanta, they have to put in more buses (unfortunately, with the car-highway-drunk state goverment we have here, it's not likely to happen). 3) Strange people. But that's everywhere. :) read more

Took Marta, an extremely small system that served me well on my single use of it from the airport, on a weekday afternoon and it was a pleasant experience, but it's just not at all omnipresent enough. Train Frequencies Weekdays: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.: 10 minutes all lines Weekdays: 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.: 20 minutes all lines Weekends: 20 minutes all lines Train Service Hours Weekdays: 4:45 a.m. to 1 a.m. Weekends: 6:00 a.m. to 1 a.m. After 9 pm, Red line travels between Lindbergh & North Springs After 9 pm, Green line travels between Bankhead & Vine City read more

MARTA is a great way of getting around the city of Atlanta without leaving a huge carbon footprint. If you live in Atlanta and find yourself moving around a lot, MARTA is an efficient alternative to driving around. It produces much less carbon emissions rather than having hundreds of people drive to work everyday in separate cars. read more

Marta is okay if you are traveling within the perimeter. Not so great for outside the perimeter. Useless on the weekends.

Atlanta's relationship with public transportation is....complicated. Metropolitan Atlanta has over 5 million people (and growing), is home to the world's busiest airport, has hosted the 1996 Olympics, Super Bowls, Final Fours and numerous other huge events, yet despite its progressive outward image it lags behind the world's great cities in the area of public transit. It's a city that wants to be a worldwide player but doesn't want to deal with the modern inconveniences of being an international city. I cringe every time someone from out of town says, "Atlanta is like a little New York down south 'cause y'all got subways there." Yes, thanks to MARTA we have subways but it doesn't go to nearly enough locations. You won't have many problems going places in the city but the suburbs are drastically different. The city of Atlanta may be the heart of the metro area but many of the good jobs here are located outside of the bus and train lines. Even the new Atlanta Braves baseball stadium is located in a county that resists MARTA expansion. Since MARTA is taxpayer funded, it runs into problems whenever it attempts to expand. It may be the 21st century but this is still the deep south and there are race and class obstacles that block expansion whenever it comes up on the ballot. Affluent suburbanites act like public transit is a form of welfare. They like to say that transit will bring crime but MARTA is one of the safest systems in the country. Sometimes MARTA is blamed for any incident that happens to occur near a train station or bus stop. With that said, I refuse to look at MARTA through rose-colored glasses. Besides the fact that it doesn't go enough places, here are a few other problems: 1) Often the customer service you get from employees and bus drivers is rude and/or shiftless. There is a tendency for them to treat passengers as if they think everyone riding is from here. Sometimes the train operator will fail to announce the name of the station he or she has arrived at. There was one time when the train arrived with a shorter number of cars on the train than usual and one of the passengers asked him why the train was so short. The operator leaned out the window and said, "It's short because you look like you belong on the short bus!" 2) The trains and buses run much slower on weekends and after 9pm on weekdays. On the weekdays before 9pm the trains run about every 10 minutes but after 9pm and on weekends, you'll be waiting 20 minutes or more for one unless there is a special event in town. Combine this with the problems they sometimes have with delays! 3) While I haven't encountered violent crime, they need to do something about the panhandlers on the trains. They are a nuisance and as a black man I'm embarrassed at seeing so many of my brothers and sisters begging for money. 4) Often the bus schedules on the buses are of different routes from the bus number you're riding on. It's best to pick up your bus schedule at the train station or view it on their itsmarta.com website. 5) Security or customer service attendants are rarely around when you need them but time you open up a bag of chips they're there to stop you from eating on the buses/trains. Yet they have snack machines at the stations! Not everything about MARTA is bad though. It's perfect if you're going to the airport, the Georgia Dome, Phillips Arena, Georgia Aquarium, the Fox Theatre, etc., and there's a shuttle van that leaves from the Art Center stop that will take you to the Atlantic Station shopping district for free. The regular cost for riding MARTA buses and trains is $2.50 but for $23.75 you can load your Breeze card (it's like a debit card) and have unlimited rides for a whole week. MARTA runs from 5am - 1am every day. Also, I think their new director (who was hired from Pittsburgh, PA a few years ago) has the system going in the right direction if the suburbanites would only cooperate. As a resident who lives in the city limits of Atlanta, I ride MARTA all the time and have learned to depart for my destination at an earlier time because if you try to calculate your trip to arrive exactly on time, chances are you will be late. Their slogan used to be "MARTA Is Smarta" but my own personal slogan for them is "Hurry Up And Wait." While it's attempting to improve, it has a ways to go to reach the standards of New York, Chicago, DC, and Portland, Oregon. I hate to give MARTA a low rating because some of their problems are due to attitudes towards public transit but I have to be honest and rate it only two stars for now. read more

Wish I could give a negative stars. EVERYDAY it's something else. Crazy thing is I have a car but I choose to ride Marta. It's okay I'm about to start driving again because I'm literally late everyday. Hate that Marta has so much potential to be such a good service but just is not . So disappointing WHAT IS THE POINT OF A SCHEDULE IF YOU'RE DRIVERS LEAVE WHEN THEY WANT. Now it's not all the employees but you can tell A BIG MAJORITY of their employees are miserable and hate their job so they go out of their way to inconvenience the riders. Crazy thing is as soon as they see people coming they leave, yet they are still is never on time ??? I don't understand that. Seriously . Hire some new people who actually care about the job, and fix it. So much potential wasted . Anyone who actually rides religiously and depends on Marta would never give three stars. read more