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MATA Puts Pause On Proposed Service Changes

Photo: Justin Fox Burks

The MATA Board of Commissioners decided to put a pause on their 2023 proposed service changes at their October 24 public meeting. The changes were set to take effect in December, if approved. Board members questioned the effectiveness of the changes, as they seem to contradict the organization’s mission to “give the community the transit they deserve.”

Prior to the meeting, MATA published the proposed service changes on its website, and has also been presenting the changes during public meetings, which have been live-streamed on its Facebook page.

The agency used the meeting to present an adjusted version of the changes, after hearing comments from riders. Previously MATA proposed the suspension of services after 7 p.m. The agency said that it came to this decision by looking at MATA’s ridership, and the top 10 routes that “carried the most people late in the evening.”

“We looked at those routes that had the highest percentage of ridership late in the afternoon/evening hours,” said John Lancaster, MATA’s chief development officer. “That is essentially what we did. Those top 10, of about 22 routes carry about 75 percent of the late evening ridership.

MATA recommended adjustments to the Route 30-Brooks and Route 69-Winchester. It also proposed extending the service time to 9 p.m. to the routes that carry “about 75 percent of [MATA’s] late night evening ridership.” This included 8- Chelsea and Highland, 11-Frayser, 30-Brooks, 32-Hollywood and Hawkins Mill, 36-Lamar, 39-South Third, 42-Crosstown, 50-Poplar, 52-Jackson, and 100-Main Street Trolley.

MATA was also required to have a “Title VI and Environmental Justice Equity Analysis in accordance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

“The Title VI analysis has been completed to make sure that the impact of our services to low income and minority areas are minimized and that there are no disparate impacts to their groups,” said Chundra Smith, community engagement manager for MATA, at a previous public meeting. Smith said that the conclusion of this analysis is that these changes “do not create a disparate impact.”

Despite that analysis, some riders and members of the community disagreed. According to MATA, the agency received over 120 comments, with the main concern being about the “negative impact of the proposed end time of 7 p.m.”

After presenting the proposed changes, with adjustments, the public was again invited to make comments. Many riders shared their personal experiences using public transportation, and why the proposed changes would be detrimental.

“You know that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is deeply rooted in the Declaration of Independence,” said Johnnie Mosley, founding chairman of Citizens for Better Service. “My concern is, even with the changes they are proposing, that if the Board votes for these changes, somebody is not going to have a life. Some bus riders are not going to have liberty, and certain some bus riders will not be able to pursue that happiness.”

Mosley reminded the board that their riders are “special,” and they should not “be treated like garbage.”

Board members will vote on the proposed changes at a later date.

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Riders React To MATA’s Proposed Service Changes

Photo: Justin Fox Burks

Public transit users and citizens are reacting to Memphis Area Transit Authority’s (MATA’s) 2023 proposed winter service changes, with some saying that “MATA needs a complete do over,” and “MATA don’t care about the people.”

MATA said it may stop running buses after 7 p.m. It has also proposed several changes such as the suspension of a number of routes throughout the week. Route 16 Southeast Circulator, 28 Airport, 34 Walnut Grove, and 102 Madison Trolley will be suspended throughout the week, if accepted. Other routes such as 7 Shelby/Holmes and 37 Perkins will be suspended on certain days of the week. 

The proposed service changes is a reflection of MATA’s “commitment to more timely arrivals” and a way to provide “more effective communication with riders.” They also said this is to make sure that replacement buses are immediately available.

The transit company published their proposed service changes on their website, and has also been presenting these changes during public meetings, which have also been live-streamed on their Facebook page.

According to MATA, these changes will be made effective on Sunday, December 3rd, and are being made to “give the community service it can rely on.” These changes are also based on MATA’s “low ridership” and “improving efficiency.”

However, many users believe that the low ridership is a reflection of MATA’s service. A Facebook user named Karen English commented that the loss of riders is because “it’s too undependable for people to get to work.”

“You blaming the bad service on not having mechanics,” said Facebook user Grady Mangum. “The service has been getting [bad] over the years. You need to have bus service for the citizens that work late. Having the last bus leave Downtown at 7:30 [p.m.] is not helping the citizens that work late.”

Mangum also said that MATA’s low ridership is a reaction to  the amount of changes to routes. 

“The reason the ridership has dropped [is because] MATA keeps changing the routes,” Magnum said. “It use to be a time when a person could ride a bus anywhere in the city.”

In order to make these changes, MATA is required to have public hearings, as well as have a “Title VI and Environmental Justice Equity Analysis in accordance of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

“The Title VI analysis has been completed to make sure that the impact of our services to low income and minority areas are minimized and that there are no disparate impacts to their groups,” said Chundra Smith, community engagement manager for MATA. Smith said that the conclusion of this analysis is that these changes “do not create a disparate impact.”

Despite this, there are members of the ridership and community that disagree.

One of the most controversial changes is that MATA has proposed changes to their fixed routes on weekdays and weekends. MATA has proposed a 60-minute minimum headway on weekdays and Saturdays, and a two-hour (120 minutes) headway on Sunday.

John Lancaster, MATA’s Chief Development Officer, said this is to make the system more reliable, and on time.

Facebook user Kimberly McClain said that MATA “has never and will never care about their riders!” McClain also said that they believe the bus changes and route eliminations are a reflection of this. 

“Who wants to wait 90 minutes to two hours for a bus!!,” McClain commented.

MATA’s board will review these proposals during its meeting on October 24th. No changes can be made without that approval.

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Election 2023: MATA Offers Free Rides To The Polls

Credit: MATA via Facebook

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) and the Shelby County Election Commission will be offering free bus rides to voters on Friday, September 29th.

This service is also available prior to the deadline for early voting, which is Saturday, September 30th.

MATA said this is an effort to “boost voter awareness” and to “ensure accessibility by eliminating transportation barriers.”

Gary Rosenfeld, CEO of MATA, said election cycles are “critical” and they provide the opportunity for everyone’s voice to be heard.

“We believe that transportation should never be a barrier to voting and our Roll to the Polls partnership is designed to empower individuals to exercise their fundamental right to vote,” said Rosenfeld.

According to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) , President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order requiring agencies of the federal government to promote voter registration and participation.  

The FTA said it acknowledges the role that public transportation plays in the lives of Americans, including access to voting.

“Transit providers across the country are distinctly positioned to reduce some of the obstacles Americans face to exercising their sacred, fundamental right to vote,” said the FTA in a statement.

MATA also said they will provide rides to the polls on a fixed route, once early voting winds down.

Prior to this announcement, MATA hosted a “Roll to the Polls” block party on Tuesday, September 12th at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, one of the early voting polling locations.

“We are grateful to MATA for this partnership which encourages residents to Be Voter Ready with equitable access to voting and voter information,” said Linda Phillips, Shelby County Election Commission Administrator of Elections.

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Cohen Presses Buttigieg on Memphis Transportation Needs

Congressman Steve Cohen via Youtube

Representative Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) reminded U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday that “Memphis is the center of the country,” and “what’s good for Memphis is good for America.”

These remarks were made during an oversight hearing for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Prior to these comments, Cohen applauded the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and its investments towards Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) and Shelby County.

In June it was announced that two Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants were being awarded by USDOT. MATA received $25 million for its Crosstown Corridor Safety and Multi-Modal Enhancement Program, and Shelby County received $13.2 million for its Eliminating Barriers on North Watkins (Project ELBOW.)

“These projects include many complete street elements to ensure safety and accessibility for all road users,” said Cohen. “This will transform the community and make it much safer to get around. One of the areas I’ve put a lot of emphasis on in getting the bill passed was complete streets.”

Cohen also reminded Buttigieg that Memphis has been ranked as one of the deadliest cities for traffic fatalities of pedestrians and bicyclists.

“The facts are, in minority communities it’s more likely that they’re not going to be sidewalks,” said Cohen. “It’s more likely they’re going to have median strips that help their crosswalks for people to get across at pedestrian passings. That’s one of the reasons we have so many high deaths of pedestrians and even bicyclists.

Cohen also mentioned that the city had recently been the recipient of the recent Safe Streets for All grant for $640,000 in order to remedy these things and to assist in the development of “comprehensive action plans to significantly reduce those fatalities.”

Not only did Cohen say that these problems need to be rectified, and that minority communities deserve to have foliage and safer streets, but he also asked if there was anything Buttigieg could do to “incentivize state governments.” Cohen added that state governments “put out a lot of these grants.”

“I don’t think we have Congressional authorization to ‘kick anyone in the rear,’ but we do work with state DOT’s knowing that we all share in principle, a commitment to safety, but believing that there are specific interventions that would make the biggest difference,” said Buttigieg.

Buttigieg added that they try to draw attention to the “eligibility of formula funds,” however the states may not be aware of the ways they could use these funds.

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MATA Users Hopeful for Change After Leadership Hears Concerns

Photo: Justin Fox Burks

Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) users are hopeful for change after voicing their concerns with the agency.

Citizens for Better Services (CBS) and Memphis Bus Riders Union (MBRU), hosted a meeting at the Afrikan Heritage and Culture Village of Memphis, where they were given the opportunity to “air their grievances about MATA” in a community forum in late August. Gary Rosenfeld, CEO of MATA, as well as Congressman Steve Cohen were in attendance.

“Our riders are important to us and we make them our highest priority. We will take all complaints seriously and have hired staff to reactively and proactively address customer concerns or rider concerns,” said MATA’s Deputy CEO, Bacarra Mauldin.

Mauldin said it is necessary and helpful to hear the “hard truths” of their riders, both good and bad.

Users compiled a list of problems faced by the ridership that included “breakdown in communication about changes in service and policies, segregated conditions, and non-welcoming atmosphere at bus terminals. They also cited ‘overzealous and overbearing security guards at the bus terminals with bad attitudes toward bus riders, and no communication about delayed and ‘no-show’ buses,” with times varying up to three hours.

Mauldin said that the non-welcoming atmosphere at bus terminals should not be happening, and said MATA has hired a customer experience officer to combat and correct these situations. In terms of delayed and “no-show” buses, Mauldin admitted that MATA does have service issues, and asked for patience as they “navigate the difficult road ahead.”

“MATA, like many other transit organizations across the country, is working hard to balance limited resources against service needs,” said Mauldin. “A three-hour wait time is never acceptable and we apologize for the inconvenience that it caused.”

Johnnie Mosley, founding chairman of Citizens for Better Services said that these concerns are truly reflective of the ridership. He said that the objective of the meeting was to let MATA hear from the riders themselves. Mosley said that he and other organizers wanted MATA to “feel the pain” of the ridership.

Citizens for Better Service and the Memphis Bus Riders Union also  compiled a document that reflected the “reality of public transportation in Memphis.” Through their research they found that the great majority of  bus riders were Black (90 percent), more than half of riders were women, and that “the average household income for a ‘supermajority’ of bus riders is less than $20,000.”

“These are people that ride the buses and depend on the buses every day,” said Mosley. Mosley said riders depend on MATA for transportation to their jobs, as well as doctor’s appointments and other health visits.“We’re talking about livelihood here,” said Mosley.

Following the meeting, Mosley said they plan to have more community meetings as a follow-up. “We want MATA to be held accountable for the problems facing the ridership,” he said. “It’s a tough challenge, but it’s a challenge that can be made because it’s a challenge that MATA has been facing over the years. We feel that over the past five-to-six years, it’s gotten worse.”

Mosley said this will not be the only meeting that they plan to have, and even outlined the responsibilities of organizations like CBS, as well as MBRU. According to a document shared by Mosley, they have asked followers to write or call elected officials for funding emphasizing public transportation and to continue communicating concerns of bus riders to MATA and other elected officials.

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MATA Launches New Cashless and Reusable Payment Options For Riders

(Credit: MATA)

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) has announced a new reusable and cashless payment option for tickets.

The Next-Generation Collection System GO901 Smart Cards are “modern and easy-to-use smart cards,” that make paying for rides “effortless and faster.” MATA likened these cards to a credit card, with users able to to “tap and ride” on MATA vehicles.

These cards are non-transferrable, and each rider needs their own card.

MATA said these cards offer “balance protection” as well as “online access to manage payment sources, set up auto loads to fund your account automatically, and view your smart card balance and history.”

The GO901 smart card is reusable, and can be used for up to five years from the issue date, according to MATA. Customers may add as little as .50 cents to their cards, with a maximum balance of $200.

“This has been a longstanding goal for the future of MATA,” said Gary Rosenfeld, CEO of MATA. “GO901 Smart Cards are a sustainable and simpler way to connect people to places across the service area. We’re excited to begin this journey.”

According to MATA, GO901 Smart Cards can be secured and loaded on MATA ticket vending machines at their transit centers, or the GO901 app. They can also be loaded on MATA’s website, or at MATA Transit Center Customer Service Counters.

There is also an option to auto-load funds onto these cards through MATA’s customer portal.

MATA also plans to add a network of retail stores where customers will be able to reload their cards in the future, they said.

 Riders will temporarily be able to pay with cash and tickets.

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Memphis Innovation Corridor Slated To Begin Construction In Fall 2023

Photo credit: MATA

Construction of the Memphis Innovation Corridor, the first bus rapid transit (BRT) service in Memphis, is tentatively scheduled to begin in fall 2023, with service beginning in the spring of 2027, according to Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA).

The Memphis Innovation Corridor is about an eight-and-a-half mile route that connects the William Hudson Transit Center, that goes east and west along Union Avenue, a portion of Poplar Avenue, connecting at the University of Memphis. MATA said it is an important step in remaking transit in Memphis.

The Corridor will be a bus route that operates like a rail line, with 31 stops along the way, said John Lancaster, MATA’s chief development officer. Lancaster also said that these will include amenities such as ticket vending machines and real time information. All the stations are also slated to be ADA accessible.

“We really want to improve the travel time and reliability for transit customers,” said Lancaster. “With Bus Rapid Transit we have more frequent operations. We’re proposing a 10-minute headway – that’s how often the buses come.”

In 2016, BRT was adopted as the “preferred transit solution,” for the Memphis Innovation Corridor, said MATA. The organization also said that in 2019, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $ 12 million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Developments (BUILD) grant to the city of Memphis for the design and construction of 

BRT offers a “higher level of service,” said Lancaster. He said it’s much more reliable, and there are definitive stops that are spaced efficiently. There are also about 15 other bus routes that will connect to this corridor that will improve connections with the route, which will also improve travel times, Lancaster explained.

The project will also use electric buses, which will make it “more environmentally sustainable.”

“On the infrastructure side, those safety benefits benefit the environment in terms of emissions,” said Kenny Monroe of Kimley-Horn: Planning and Design Engineering Consultants. Monroe also serves as a project manager on the consulting team for MATA.

Monroe also said that hopefully more people will shift from passenger cars to buses as a result of BRT.

MATA’s goal is to provide “high-quality transit service,” and not only does this project increase ridership, but it lowers transportation for the people who live in the corridor. Lancaster also said this aligns with the city of Memphis’ comprehensive plan. The city also developed a Transit Oriented Development plan.

“All of these things help provide better access to jobs, medical services, educational opportunities, and it reduces the dependency on single-occupant vehicles,” Lancaster said.

The project will also include Downtown intersection improvements such as reduced pedestrian crosswalks, improved pedestrian striping and signals, as well as bioswales, which will help with stormwater runoff and drainage, said Monroe.

There will also be traffic signal improvements, said Monroe. There are 52 traffic signals along the corridor, and about 42 of them will be improved as a part of this project.

“There will be transit signal priority,” said Monroe. “Basically if a bus is behind schedule, it notifies the system, and the signals will react to help get that bus back on schedule.”

“It’s a transit project but it’s a complete infrastructure project that includes roadways, sidewalks, traffic signals, lighting [and] street lights,” said Lancaster. “It includes the buses and transit too, but it’s a lot of improvements for the city that people may not realize is happening.

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U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE Funding Awards $38.2 Million to MATA and Shelby County

Photo: U.S. Department of Transportation via Facebook

Two Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants have been awarded to Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) and Shelby County. This grant program comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Congressman Steve Cohen announced that MATA will be receiving $25 million for its Crosstown Corridor Safety and Multi-Modal Enhancement Program, while Shelby County will be receiving $13.2 million for its Eliminating Barriers on North Watkins (Project ELBOW).

“These major projects, which both include important complete streets elements to ensure safety and accessibility for all road users, will transform our community, creating efficient and safe travel corridors where they’re most needed,” said Cohen in a statement. “This investment will lead to a bright future for Memphis drivers and transit riders. I’m also proud that this funding was made possible by the massive investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which I supported.”

MATA’s Crosstown Corridor Safety and Multi-Modal Enhancement Program will provide “complete street improvements and Bus Rapid Transit service along an approximately 26-mile corridor.”

This project will also include improvements to sidewalks, bus stations, intersection improvements, and signalization.

Project ELBOW will use funds to “design and reconstruct the 1960s-era bridge over the Wolf River,” said the U.S. Department of Transportation in a statement. 

“[The Wolf River] is rated in poor condition and will be upgraded to seismic standards and more accessible during emergency and evacuation events, and approximately 3.3 miles of complete street improvements.”

The grants are part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, said the U.S. Department of Transportation. The department also stated that 70 percent of the grants go toward projects “in regions defined as an Area of Persistent Poverty or a Historically Disadvantaged Community.”

“This round of RAISE grants is helping create a new generation of good-paying jobs in rural and urban communities alike, with projects whose benefits will include improving safety, fighting climate change, advancing equity, strengthening our supply chain, and more,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

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Millions in MATA Contracts Go to Disadvantaged Businesses

Photo: Justin Fox Burks

Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) officials reported that more than $1.7 million in contracts were awarded over the last six months in its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program.

Contracts in the program are awarded to DBEs by ethnicity and gender. The six ethnicities include Black American, Hispanic American, Native American, Asian Pacific American, Subcontinent Asian American, and non-minority. 

A total of $18,284 was awarded to women, but only to Subcontinent Asian American women. More than $1.7 million program dollars were awarded to men, with $960,259 being awarded to Black American men, and $794,451 being awarded to subcontinent Asian American men.

The program’s reporting period was from October 1st, 2022 to March 31st, said Anthony Amos, MATA’s chief compliance officer. MATA creates a proposal goal and submits it the FTA (Federal Transit Administration) every three years, he said.

“This goal is established using financial information for future capital projects that we have proposed to complete during these three years,” said Amos. “We are currently developing a new proposed three-year goal that will be submitted to the FTA by August 1st of this year. It was 17 percent for the previous three-year goal cycle

DBEs are a “vital part of the economic structure of the Mid-South, and assisting those businesses contributes to their overall economic growth and expansion as well as strengthening the economic foundation of our community,” said MATA.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) said DBEs “are for-profit small business concerns where socially and economically disadvantaged individuals own at least a 51 percent interest and also control management and daily business operations.” 

To participate in this program, the qualifying business must receive a DBE certification from their state.

Amos compared MATA’s program to the city of Memphis’ Minority, Women-Owned and Small Business Enterprise (MWSBE) program, but said the program have significant differences. For example, the governing body for MATA’s program is the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) while the city’s program is governed by the Office of Business Diversity and Compliance (OBDC.)

“USDOT’s DBE Program seeks to ensure nondiscrimination in the award and administration of USDOT-assisted contracts in the Department’s highway, transit, and airport financial assistance programs and to create a level playing field on which DBEs can compete fairly for USDOT-assisted contracts,” the presentation stated.

With a Black population of 64.4 percent, MATA officials said Memphis ranked fifth in the top 10 cities with the largest African-American population with transit agencies, according to President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Framework. Jackson, Mississippi, ranked first with 82.8 percent of their population identifying as African-American.

The report also showed that 52.6 percent of the population identified as female, and 22.6 percent live in poverty. Among their peers, Memphis and MATA ranked 6th in both categories.

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MEMernet: MATA, an Orpheum Heckler, and the Pyramid

Posted to YouTube by CityNerd

Memphis on the internet.

Worst of the Worst

Memphis topped the list of CityNerd’s top 10 worst transit cities, “where taking the bus or rail may just crush your soul.” (Hat tip to u/Carpet-Early on the Memphis subreddit.)

Channel host Ray Delahanty, a transportation planning and engineering consultant, said the Memphis Area Transportation Authority had to have “the single least legible major-city bus system in the U.S. When I drop into [Google Maps’] street-view I can barely tell where the bus stop is.”

Lucinda and Bonnie

Posted to Twitter by Lucinda Williams

Some “dumb f*ck” heckled Lucinda Williams and Bonnie Raitt during their performances at the Orpheum Saturday, according to Memphis Redditor u/12frets. The heckler allegedly made fun of Lucinda’s speech (she had a stroke last year, says 12frets) and yelled to Bonnie “what’s in that cup” she was drinking from before a song about her struggles with sobriety.

“I know it was very important to you to be as much a part of the show as the people on stage, but you’re neither funny or insightful,” said 12frets. “These artists deserve better.”

Cool Shot

Posted to Twitter by Frasier Seinfeld

“As the sun sets on Memphis like the Serengeti,” said Frasier Seinfeld on Twitter.