MARTA awarded more than $285 million in COVID relief funds

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has been awarded $285.7 million in American Rescue Plan funds by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

FTA explains the funds are intended to help transit agencies maintain service and jobs as communities continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transit has played a crucial role throughout the pandemic, bringing essential workers to jobs and helping the American people get to vaccine appointments and increasingly travel as the nation opens back up.

“Public transportation has been a lifeline for communities and the American people throughout this pandemic,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This funding from President [Joe] Biden’s American Rescue Plan will help protect transit employees from layoffs, keep transit service running and ensure people can get where they need to go.”

“As our nation’s transit systems recover from COVID-19, the American Rescue Plan funds ensure that they continue to provide service to the many Americans who depend on transit to get to essential jobs, healthcare and vaccine appointments,” said FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez.

This funding is part of more than $30 billion for public transportation in the American Rescue Plan Act which was signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021. The funding comes from the $26.6 billion allocated by statutory formulas to urban and rural areas, tribal governments and for the enhanced mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities. The act also included $2.2 billion for additional transit pandemic-associated need, which will be awarded next year. No local share is required for this funding.

“MARTA’s federal delegation support for transit has been essential throughout the pandemic. This tranche of COVID relief is critical for giving MARTA time for ridership and fare revenue to recover while we keep our service running,” said MARTA General Manager/CEO Jeff Parker.