This week on the Memphis Flyer Podcast, Kailynn Johnson talks about her cover story “Business Unusual”. MATA is in crisis, and we’ve got all the details. Plus, an Anora review, Marcella Simien’s new album, and more.
Tag: MATA
The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is undergoing significant change following the release of a draft report from TransPro, a transportation consulting organization.
MATA has replaced its entire board of commissioners under the direction of Memphis Mayor Paul Young, and the mayor is also urging the agency to delay service changes and cuts. While these measures are taking place in order to ensure the viability of the agency, transportation advocates are unsure that MATA can implement these changes without proper funding.
Better Transit For A Better Memphis (BTBM), a coalition founded by Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH) and Sierra Club Chickasaw Group, said these changes are a “temporary win” but found the decision to continue current service is “unrealistic.”
“Years of underfunding have left MATA without enough buses to meet even the existing, limited schedule. Interim MATA CEO Bacarra Mauldin has been scrambling to secure more buses, but 151 of the fleet’s vehicles require repairs and the wait time for a new bus can be up to a year,” BTBM said in a statement. “Regardless, MATA lacks the funds to purchase parts and supplies or to place an order for new buses.”
The previous MATA board voted to cut six bus routes, including Route 16 Southeast Circulator, Route 28 Airport, Route 34 Central and Walnut Grove, Route 37 Perkins, Route 69 Winchester, and Zone 3 Cordova Ready! On Demand. The cuts were slated to go into effect November 3rd. However, during last week’s City Council meeting, Young said he wanted to halt these changes after TransPro released its report.
Prior to those changes being passed, the agency held 19 public meetings prior to the board meeting to discuss the changes. After hearing from the community, the agency said many had a desire to maintain the current bus service, and they wanted service to last longer and an improved on-time performance.
“The public hasn’t changed in what they want and what they need. It’s just our ability to deliver these services,” John Lancaster, MATA’s chief development officer said during a previous board meeting.
In addition to route suspensions, the board also decided to raise fares for MATA’s fixed-route buses. Adult base fare will be $1.75 compared to the current fare of $1.00. The increases also affect fares for students, senior citizens, and individuals with disabilities. Fares for FastPasses were also increased.
TransPro said these cuts would make it harder for MATA to deliver reliable service, which they argued should be the primary goal of the agency. However, BTBM said TransPro failed to consider that the agency is not able to provide these services consistently due to their lack of buses in the fleet.
“How can the report recommend maintaining service levels when the system doesn’t even have the buses to run those routes reliably?” BTBM co-chair Dorothy Conner asked. “ It’s not supported by data or resources, and it contradicts its own findings, which highlight that Memphians want reliable transit – not an overstretched system that can’t deliver.”
BTBM said the report also failed to show the “underfunding” from previous city councils, as the city is the primary funding source of the agency. Leo Arnoult, spokesman for BTBM said both the mayor and city council have “failed to provide inflation-adjusted budgets or release Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) funds.”
The organization said these issues were unaddressed in the report, and that replacing the entire MATA board would not fix these issues. The agency has been open about the cost of doing business as they need an additional $7.5 million for personnel costs, and $5 million for operating expenses. BTBM is urging both Mayor Young and the City Council to increase funding for the agency to resolve these issues.
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All members of the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s(MATA) board of commissioners have been replaced following the recommendation of a consulting firm.
Mayor Paul Young announced Friday he was starting a “clean slate” on MATA’s leadership after a draft report from the consulting agency TransPro was released. TransPro said the previous board failed to “provide reasonable oversight.”
The previous board consisted of Michael Fulton, Angus Blair, Sara Burnett, Janice Holder, Anton Mack, Ed Stephens III, Shelia Williams, Martin Lipinski, and Courtney McNeal. It will be replaced with Brandon Arrindale, Cynthia Bailey, Emily Greer, Sandi Klink, Brian Marflak, Jackson McNeil, Anna McQuiston, Dana Pointer, and Maya Siggers.
Young told the council that replacing the board is an “aggressive action” and showed that this is not indicative of one person. His replacements include bus advocates, logistic, financial and legal experts, and more.
“[The MATA Board] has served nobly over the years and this is not an indication of them or their integrity,” Young said. “This is a hard reset.”
TransPro reviewed MATA from August 19 to October 11. During that time the board had passed a budget that not only included service cuts, but prompted the layoff of more than 200 employees. Board members said these cuts were made to ensure the viability of the agency, as officials had announced a $60 million deficit this summer.
During Tuesday’s council meeting, Young said they wanted an external analysis on how they were doing on an operational level, which is why they turned to TransPro.
“[The] existing MATA board fails to provide reasonable oversight,” the report said. “Just a month ago the MATA board unanimously adopted a budget with no questions…for a fiscal year that started more than 100 days prior.”
Councilwoman Jerri Green called the report “nothing short of scathing.”
“It talked specifically about how the board failed over and over again in finances,” Green said.
John Lewis, principal at TransPro, said public transportation’s purpose is to give the community reliable service, and MATA has failed to do so. Lewis said the company has worked with the agency previously, however MATA failed to address their recommendations. As a result, TransPro “severed their agreement.”
“We find ourselves not surprised [by] the situation the agency finds itself in at this moment,” Lewis said.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young is looking to start a “clean slate” in city transit by replacing all members of the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s (MATA) board of commissioners.
Young made the announcement Friday evening following the release of a TransPro draft report which comes after months of turmoil for the agency.
The mayor is looking to replace the current board with the following members:
Brandon Arrindale
Cynthia Bailey
Emily Greer
Sandi Klink
Brian Marflak
Jackson McNeil
Anna McQuiston
Dana Pointer
Maya Siggers
“This move is more about creating a clean-slate environment,” Young said. “After months of analysis, we received Transpro’s initial draft report today, which clearly spells out the challenges facing our transit system and the need to move with expediency.
“We believe the reset will help us to move more quickly toward our goal of creating a system that better connects our residents with jobs, healthcare, and essential services.”
TransPro, a transportation consulting business, conducted their analysis from August 19 to October 11. During this time the board had passed a budget that not only included service cuts, but prompted the layoff of more than 200 employees. Board members said these cuts were made to ensure the viability of the agency, as officials had announced a $60 million deficit this summer.
“Existing MATA board fails to provide reasonable oversight,” the report said. “Just a month ago the MATA board unanimously adopted a budget with no questions…for a fiscal year that started more than 100 days prior.”
MATA’s board has been criticized by not only bus riders and community advocates, but city leaders as well. During a September Memphis City Council meeting, Council member Yolanda Cooper-Sutton condemned the board for not speaking up about a problem that had been 10 years in the making.
“No one knew there was a deficiency coming down the pipeline? No one?” Cooper-Sutton said. “I’m going to tell you what my spirit is discerning — someone is lying and not telling the truth. You’re not going to tell me that the educated board with all those alphabets behind their name that no one knew and saw this coming for 10 years? It’s unbelievable.”
The analysis notes that public transportation has its share of financial challenges. MATA officials have continuously made note of this citing lack of funding contributing to their budget woes. However, TransPro said MATAs challenges “are further amplified by a lack of focus on the daily needs of customers, poor financial management and oversight, and the pursuit of major projects that are straining the limited staff and fiscal resources of the authority.”
The organization found only 26 percent of the community believed in the agency’s ability to efficiently handle public funds. In order to gain the public’s trust regarding management of funds, they recommend the entire board be replaced.
“The MATA board as currently constituted should be replaced with new members who will take seriously their responsibility to act as the policy and oversight entity of the agency,” the report said. “New board members should be trained on the expectations and responsibilities that membership on this board entails.
“Furthermore, performance metrics should be established on the operations, finances, and customer satisfaction of the agency for the leadership team to be held accountable to and provide true transparency to the community.”
TransPro’s 117-page recommendation thoroughly summarizes recommendations for the agency, analyzes bus usage and ridership, and on-time performance amongst other things. They said a comprehensive financial review “is currently underway.”
Public transportation groups have called for Memphis Area Transit Authority’s (MATA) interim CEO Bacarra Mauldin to resign, following the agency’s decision to suspend routes and increase fares.
“Bacarra Mauldin, the Interim CEO of MATA, is part of the old leadership which has caused the problems at MATA for years,” said Johnnie Mosley, president of Citizens for Better Service. “If it is true, as she claims, that she sat two doors from her predecessor without knowledge of MATA’s financial operations, it does not reflect well on her leadership. Therefore, she must not be trusted to lead MATA out of the wilderness.”
Sammie Hunter, co-chair of the Memphis Bus Riders Union, said they believe MATA is more concerned about its leadership than its riders. Hunter said they do not trust Mauldin’s leadership.
“It is time for Bacarra Mauldin to go,” Cynthia Bailey, the other co-chair of Memphis Bus Riders Union, added.
MATA has put several cost-saving measures into effect in hopes of addressing the agency’s financial woes and improving its viability, but the measures haven’t stopped members of the public from voicing their concerns.
At its Tuesday board meeting, the MATA board decided to cut six bus routes, including Route 16 Southeast Circulator, Route 28 Airport, Route 34 Central and Walnut Grove, Route 37 Perkins, Route 69 Winchester, and Zone 3 Cordova Ready! On Demand. The cuts will go into effect November 3rd.
“No one wants to recommend this service reduction,” John Lancaster, MATA’s chief development officer, said. “It is essentially a financial consideration.” Lancaster added that the cuts are a balance between finance and equipment.
The agency held 19 public meetings prior to the board meeting to discuss the changes. After hearing from the community, the agency said many had a desire to maintain the current bus service, and they wanted service to last longer, and an improved on-time performance.
“The public hasn’t changed in what they want and what they need. It’s just our ability to deliver these services,” Lancaster said.
In addition to route suspensions, the board also decided to raise fares for MATA’s fixed-route buses. Adult base fare will be $1.75 compared to the current fare of $1.00. The increases also affect fares for students, senior citizens, and individuals with disabilities. Fares for FastPasses were also increased.
The last time the agency increased its fares was in 2011.
Citizens for Better Service and the Memphis Bus Riders Union have long been vocal about service changes and how they adversely affect the public. They voiced concern when the agency announced it had a $60 million deficit, and criticized MATA for the termination of more than 200 employees as a result of a newly approved budget.
The groups said that the cuts send a mesage to riders and drivers “that [the board] is in favor of service cuts and layoffs.”
A MATA spokesperson said MATA officials were unavailable for comments.
Memphis on the internet.
All the photos
“Did you get engaged at Shelby Farms outside of the FedEx Event Center last night? Congrats! I got pictures,” said Reddit user u/ChantalChante over the weekend. “In case you need a photo of your friend taking a photo of the photographer getting a photo …”
Got ’Em
Memphis rapper NLE Choppa stirred up the MEMernet on X last week.
He posted, “I’m coming out …,” on Thursday, and on Friday posted, “…with [a] new song, a new project this month, and Black Duck Boots. Y’all ain’t let me finish …”
Driving out
Does it get any more Memphis than a MATA bus with drive-out tags?
Memphis City Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton said that the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s (MATA) interim CEO Bacarra Mauldin had been “gifted an issue” and criticized the agency for not asking for help in their budget crisis.
These comments came after officials noted that the agency had been operating in an unrestricted budget deficit for the last 10 years.
“To hear that this is a 10-year-long thing that you all have known about — that you didn’t have enough money and never said anything to anyone is very disturbing,” Cooper-Sutton said. “I don’t think you would run your household for 10 years and no one would say anything.”
Cooper-Sutton went on to call out the organization’s Board of Commissioners for not speaking up as well, and that they should share in accountability for the agency’s financial burdens.
“No one knew there was a deficiency coming down the pipeline? No one?” Cooper-Sutton said. “I’m going to tell you what my spirit is discerning — someone is lying and not telling the truth. You’re not going to tell me that the educated board with all those alphabets behind their name that no one knew and saw this coming for 10 years? It’s unbelievable.”
Mauldin responded saying she remembers being two doors down from her predecessor and had no idea that the agency was facing financial hardship.
“The board didn’t know,” Mauldin said. “From the moment that we gave full visibility over what was happening with the finances, I shared that information with the board and we have as governance partners to try to right this ship. I know that it’s unbelievable, I know that it’s unacceptable but we have done everything in our power to bring this in-line so that we could provide the service this city needs and deserves.”
Today’s meeting follows the passage of the transit authority’s budget for Fiscal Year 2025 which resulted in more than 200 layoffs and the suspension of routes. Riders and community members have openly called on the council to intervene in the agency’s problems. The council had also requested that MATA appear before them every two weeks to provide updates in hopes of increasing transparency.
Mauldin said that her team was “beaten down” and that all they want is to make things right.
“Our goal is to develop a robust transit system that positions Memphis to compete nationally,” Mauldin said. “The city deserves that and we want to give it to the city. We’re committed to providing insights and context necessary to be a part of the solution and help drive the city towards a successful future.”
MATA’s presentation covered their financials, staff optimization, and the steps they plan to take moving forward. Mauldin was joined by external chief financial officer Hamish Davidson, chief of strategic partnerships and programs Erik Stevenson, and chief development officer John Lancaster.
Davidson highlighted that MATAs debt has grown over time due to increased costs and a decrease in ridership and flat funding. He added that the budget affects on-time performance and they are currently operating at a $85 million budget, with a proposed balanced budget of $67.8 million.
“This is not something that occurred in one year,” Davidson said. “This is something that has been continuing for many years.”
According to Davidson, this is something that the media and others had been “lambasting” the agency about, and wanted to note that their deficit wasn’t an annual loss.
The approved budget shows that a majority of MATA’s funding comes through grant revenue ($64 million) with the City of Memphis being its primary funding source at $30 million. The rest of their budget is supplemented by their operating revenue of $3.7 million from passenger fares, advertising, and charters.
Councilwoman Pearl Eva Walker noted that the council’s assessment of MATA’s troubles stemmed from lack of on-going information and updates, as opposed to understanding of finances.
In hopes of adding context to the operational side, Lancaster explained that their problems also stem from their density and size of their service area. MATA covers nearly 300 square miles with a fleet of less than 100 buses. For comparison, Lancaster said they operated more than 300 buses in a little over 100 square miles in the 1970s.
Stevenson said they had to reduce their workforce in order to stay in line with their budget. As a result 18 trolley workers, 29 administrative personnel, and 52 unionized personnel were laid off with 75 eliminated positions.
While the agency presented a PowerPoint in hopes of providing answers, the council was still not pleased with their presentation, prompting several questions and comments from council members. Walker noted that the presentation was very “general.”
Councilwoman Rhonda Logan questioned if employee perks such as employee vehicles had been reduced as the company works to cut down on spending. Mauldin said she would provide the council with a detailed list of these things, including the context in which they exist.
Riders and citizens are calling on city leaders to intervene regarding the effects of the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s(MATA) newest budget.
These comments come days after the $67 million budget was approved unanimously by the agency’s Board of Commissioners. Prior to the approval, interim CEO Bacarra Mauldin and her team had been open about how the budget would affect both riders and personnel with routes being suspended and more than 200 employees being laid off.
While MATA had been vocal about these proposed changes, this didn’t make it easier for the public to accept, and are calling on the city to intervene. In a statement released by the Moral Budget Coalition, Bennett Foster, executive director for Memphis For All said these changes will affect “tens of thousands of Memphians,” and the city “has the power to prevent that.”
“Chronic underfunding has already led to reduced transit services, hitting hardest in majority Black neighborhoods that depend on public transportation the most,” Foster said in a statement. “This situation jeopardizes public safety, economic mobility, and racial justice. Enhancing MATA is not only vital for connecting residents to jobs, healthcare, and education–it is also crucial for the economic growth and overall quality of life in Memphis.”
The Moral Budget Coalition has asked for Mayor Paul Young and the Memphis City Council to allocate at least $20 million to MATA. They have several recommendations such as increasing property taxes, re-allocating portions of rainy day funds, and increasing vehicle registration.
MATA officials have noted that the city has historically been their primary funding source. During this year’s budget season, Memphis City Council allocated $30 million for Fiscal Year 2025.It was also during this budget season that officials said they would be more involved in MATA’s budget moving forward.
Members of the coalition spoke about how citizens are dependent on public transit for their transportation needs. Foster said the city is primarily responsible for maintaining transit service, and that he felt MATA had not been a priority in current and previous administrations.
“We are here to make sure that cycle of chronic disinvestment in public transit and public services –it begins and ends here,” Foster said. “If we don’t take action now – it’ll be too late. If MATA is cutting their employees in half, cutting their service by 30 percent we’re gonna lose access to federal funds, we could lose formula funds that match our budget and we’re gonna get into a debt spiral.”
The public also made comments during this month’s meeting. One attendee said they didn’t agree that the agency was out of options for revenue and suggested that the city tax airplane passengers, real estate transactions, football and basketball tickets, as well as offering Beale Street transportation.
“If you don’t think this is a desperate situation, I’m telling you it is,” the attendee said.
Funding has long been an issue for MATA since the pandemic. During Tuesday’s board meeting, Mauldin stressed this saying that the agency struggled to receive consistent funding as CARES funds ran out.
“MATA has operated for a number of years without any increases in the amount operating funds made available to it,” Hamish Davidson, external CFO of J.S. Held LLC said during Tuesday’s meeting. “It has managed to survive and indeed grow beyond its means through the provision of the CARES Act funds made available post Covid.”
Davidson said MATA cannot sustain itself without the increase of funds, and they receive 95 percent of their funding from federal,state, and local funds. The other 5 percent comes from advertising and farebox revenue. Davidson said that historically funding had not stayed static, but it has reduced with no regard to inflation, and that the last two budgets were deficit budgets.
In addition to rising operating costs a majority of MATA’s costs stem from employee compensation and benefit packages. Davidson also said they have reached a new collective bargaining agreement for union members.
The Memphis Area Transit Authority’s board of commissioners have unanimously approved a budget that will lead to more than 200 employees being laid off.
During the Tuesday’s monthly board of commissioners meeting, the board approved its budget for Fiscal Year 2025, with the board having requested officials present a balanced budget. In addition to staffing cuts, the budget also affects ridership routes.
Interim CEO Bacarra Mauldin has been vocal about potential changes as the organization worked to address its financial instability. Last week, the organization suspended its trolley service as it worked to scale back spending, since repairing a brake issue proved to be a “costly” expenditure.
“If we were to keep operating the way we’re operating today, our budget would be $85 million,” Mauldin said during a city hall presentation last week. “We have committed to our board that we were going to present a balanced budget. We presented a draft budget of $67 million for FY25.”
MATA board chairman Michael Fulton echoed these sentiments during the meeting, as he recognized these budget cuts as being tough decisions, but necessary for the organization’s future.
The agency has faced difficulties in procuring funding, unable to identify consistent sources. Earlier this month Mauldin said not only had ridership plummeted as a result of the pandemic, but relief funds had also run out.
As a result, the agency opted to streamline staffing and vendor costs. Mauldin said the agency’s debt has been growing due to the increased cost of doing business, decreased ridership, and flat funding. She added that their budget holds have resulted in slower on-time performance.
Last week the organization said that it planned to have the budget approved during Tuesday’s meeting, and to send notices to affected employees today.
“Every affected employee will be notified in the coming weeks and receive support securing alternate employment,” MATA said in a statement. “In addition, vendor contracts have been discontinued and/or dramatically scaled back.”
While these measures have been put in place in order to save the agency, this doesn’t soften the blow for riders and advocacy groups. Sammie Hunter, co-chair of the Memphis Bus Rider Union, urged the board to vote no on the measure as it seemed like the “blame” fell on riders “who had nothing to do with the $60 million deficit.”
“The proposed budget by the MATA administration is an example why Mayor Paul Young should clean house at MATA,” Hunter said in a statement prior to the meeting.
Both the Memphis Bus Rider Union and Citizens for Better Service have long voiced their opposition to these changes. The groups feel that these cuts send the wrong messages to riders and drivers, and that it “sends a message that [the board] is in favor of service cuts and layoffs.”
The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) has decided to suspend trolley service as they prepare to finalize their budget. This decision sheds light on potential service and employment cuts as the agency works to scale back spending in hopes of providing its board with a balanced budget.
Officials announced on Sunday that they discovered a trolley brake issue which resulted in a “costly” recommendation from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). The agency opted to temporarily suspend the service rather than “making that spend right now.”
As a result, 18 employees have been laid off. The maintenance team remains in place, as MATA said they hope to bring the trolley back.
“The balance is very delicate,” said Bacarra Mauldin, MATA interim CEO. “While we want a system of choice and transportation options, for now, we must focus on the needs of riders who rely on public transportation to get to work, doctor appointments, school, and other critical destinations.”
Downtown riders have the option of using Groove On Demand services as service is halted.
This decision comes as the agency is preparing to submit their final budget to the board of commissioners for approval. In May, officials revealed the agency was facing a $60 million deficit.
As reported earlier, Mauldin said the agency’s debt has been growing due to the increased cost of doing business, decreased ridership, and flat funding.
“If we were to keep operating the way we’re operating today, our budget would be $85 million,” Mauldin said. “We have committed to our board that we were going to present a balanced budget. We presented a draft budget of $67 million for FY25.”
Mauldin said they have not been able to identify funding for their current operating system, which has caused them to make their proposed cuts. According to MATA, they will also be streamlining staffing and vendor costs, as they prepare to submit the final budget for approval.
During today’s Memphis City Council committee meeting, Mauldin said they have based their budget on doing things in a “completely different way,” causing them to examine different routes, expenses, and headcount as “everything is on the table.”
MATA said they are looking to have their budget approved on August 27th and to send notices to affected employees on August 28th. They said this is set to affect more than 200 employees.
“Every affected employee will be notified in the coming weeks and receive support securing alternate employment,” MATA said in a statement. “In addition, vendor contracts have been discontinued and/or dramatically scaled back.”
Council member Rhonda Logan remarked that the deficit has been an issue for a while, however the public has only become aware recently.
“I think it’s very important that the community understands the fact that it’s not like the MATA system is spiraling right now — this has been going on for a very long time,” Logan said. “Unfortunately we have not known, as a council, that you all were in that shape.”