One of the best parts of living in a city is the access to public transport, and Atlanta has a huge, and sometimes largely forgotten public transport system: MARTA. So whether you’re in town for a concert or a sporting event… or even if you’ve just always been too scared to try, let us give you the lowdown. Here’s how you ride MARTA, straight from the directions of a frequent rider!
What is MARTA?
First, let’s get some lingo out of the way. MARTA stands for ‘Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.’ And if you want to sound like a local, don’t call it ‘the’ MARTA. It’s just MARTA.
MARTA operates buses, streetcars (in downtown), and, of course, the train system. Here, we’re going to teach you how to take the train so you don’t have to worry about parking at your destination in the ATL!
How to use MARTA’s train system
If you’ve ever been to New York and you’re afraid MARTA is like the Subway… don’t worry. It’s much, much simpler than that. Here’s the step by step for how to use MARTA trains:
1. First, you’re going to need to buy a ticket
There are a couple options for ticket-buying, but if you’re a first-timer or you don’t plan on using MARTA all the time, your best bet is a Breeze Ticket. Go to one of the kiosks at the entrance of the MARTA station (before you walk through the turnstiles) and follow the prompts to find your best fit.
One-way tickets are $2.50, and most people go ahead and get a round-trip ticket. After all, you’ve gotta get back from where you’re headed!
If you’re looking for a payment option you can use for longer, get a Breeze Card or download the Breeze Mobile 2 app and load money onto it! You can do this at the kiosk, same as the Breeze ticket, OR with the app on your phone.
*Insider tip, I ALWAYS have trouble getting the QR code to scan on the Breeze Mobile 2 App, so make sure your brightness is all the way up if you use this option.
2. After you have your ticket, get on the train
What now? Okay, with your ticket or card (or app) in hand, go to the turnstiles and scan in where it tells you to scan. The doors should let you through with no problem, and you’re now in the train station.
Here’s where you need to know how to navigate. MARTA runs North, South, East and West. The central station and transfer station for ALL lines is Five Points, in Downtown ATL.
The gold and red line run north and south and the blue and green line run east and west. Stations are labeled with ‘Northbound’ ‘Southbound’ ‘Westbound’ and ‘Eastbound.’
Walk to the area near the train tracks where you can see the screen that tells you how much longer it is until a train arrives, and wait for MARTA there. The train will stop fully and open the doors at every single station, so you don’t need to worry about flagging it down in any way.
3. Get on the train!
After the train comes to a complete stop, let passengers get off of the train, and then board anywhere. You can sit or stand on MARTA.
The train announcer will announce each stop you approach, and you can also see the station through the windows or on the digital screens on the train.
Get off the train at either your stop OR Five Points, which is the transfer point for ALL TRAINS. That means if you’re going North but you also need to go west, get off at Five Points and transfer to another train.
4. Exit the train
At this point, you’ll either follow step two again and wait for your connecting train OR you’ll exit the station by swiping your ticket/Breeze card at the exit–and you’ve done it!
Enjoy MARTA and the wonderful benefits of public transit in the ATL