Tag: MATA

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Harris Presents ‘Landmark’ Funding Plan for MATA

CREDIT: Memphis Area Transit Authority

Memphis Area Transit Authority

Mayor Harris wants to give MATA $10 million.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris presented a plan to the Shelby County Commission Wednesday to generate $10 million in funding each year for the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA).

In the past, MATA has said it needs an additional $30 million in funding to build a more robust, frequent, and reliable system.


Gary Rosenfeld, CEO of MATA said Wednesday that the mayor’s proposal is a “landmark plan” that would “dramatically change the trajectory of funding for public transit in this community.”

Harris said the plan would have “zero impact” on most families and does not include an increase in property taxes. Instead, the plan would implement an annual $145 registration fee for households’ third vehicle and beyond. Harris said this would only affect about 17 percent of residents here.

“Today I presented out #Future4Transit plan to the Shelby County Commission,” Harris wrote on Twitter. “If adopted it will have a big impact on transit.”

If the commission adopts the plan, the county would also allocate 1.5 percent, or $1 million of its capital improvement budget, to transit.

Harris anticipates the additional funds will be used to implement recommendations laid out in the Transit Vision 3.0 Plan, such as an express route to the airport and increased frequency on MATA’s most popular routes.

The additional $10 million would have an economic impact of more than $40 million, Harris said, citing expanded job access and a reduction in car accidents.

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The mayor also said the plan would have a significant impact on poverty, noting there are 15,000 available jobs in the county: “More frequent transit helps people get a job and keep a job.”

The transit investment would also have a “big impact on our shared environment.” Harris said. With more frequent and reliable transit options, there would be more ridership and a reduction of automobile emissions by thousands of tons.

“Everyone has to play a role in trying to preserve our shared environment, even local officials,” Harris said. “We will all enjoy the benefits of clean air, reduced congestion, and a reduction in poverty. This sustainable investment in transit helps achieve all those objectives.”

Harris is looking for the commission to vote on the plan by February 2020. County approval could be contingent upon MATA giving the county a place on its board.

Earlier this year, the county commission approved $2.5 million of the county’s 2020 budget going toward MATA and related infrastructure improvements. This was the first investment in public transit by the county.

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County Looks to Make First Ever Investment in MATA

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Justin Fox Burks

The county is looking to make its first ever investment in public transit, beginning this fiscal year.

Five Shelby County Commissioners pushed Tuesday to amend Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’ budget proposal to include funding for the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA).

The amendment, sponsored by Commissioners Tami Sawyer, Van Turner, Eddie Jones, Edmund Ford Jr., and Mickell M. Lowery, would allow for $2.5 million in county funds to be allocated to MATA “to support improvement of transportation services provided by MATA.”

The funding is contingent on MATA providing two board seats to the board of commissioners and final approval by the commission. 

Harris has previously said that he would be presenting a proposal for MATA funding to the commission in September.

But, commissioners like Sawyer said it’s important to begin funding MATA now. The $2.5 million of proposed funding became available after it was left over from $5 million set aside for the county election commission, according to Sawyer.

Sawyer said Tuesday that “this isn’t a formula for how we continue to fund MATA, but it’s a start.”

“In conversations that many of us have had with representatives of MATA and representatives of the community and the mayor’s administration themselves, we know that this is something that people want to see now,” Sawyer said. “But also we have to figure out one, what can we really do in this amount of time? And two, once the county gets into the transportation game, what ability will we have to participate in the oversight?”

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Nicole Lacey, chief communications officer for MATA, said that “yesterday’s action by the Shelby County Commission is a positive step in the right direction for Shelby County Government to begin investing in public transit.

The Memphis Area Transit Authority executive team looks forward to continued dialogue with the Shelby County Commission and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris regarding the possibilities of funding that could begin this fiscal year.”

In April, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland included in his proposed 2020 budget an additional $2.5 million in funding for MATA for a total of $29,170,000. The mayor said then that would bring the total funding increases for MATA to $5 million since he took office in 2016.


In the past, MATA officials have said that in order to provide a more frequent, reliable, and robust system, the agency needs an additional $30 million a year.

With the additional funding, Lacey said MATA will pursue the recommendations laid out in the Transit Vision Plan — a piece of the Memphis 3.0 plan.

Lacey said the plan includes more frequency, weekend and evening service, and new and redesigned bus routes that help people connect across the city and county.

Members of the Memphis Bus Riders Union (MBRU) said the city’s current proposal for MATA funding might not be enough to pay for new buses, routes, or service hours.

Justin Davis of the MBRU said the city and county governments can’t keep putting off a large investment in transit “if we want to increase ridership and improve MATA’s public perception.”

“If MATA does get that new funding for fiscal year 2020, we want to see it going to operations first: more bus routes, more frequent service, and more service on nights and weekends,” Davis said. “But if MATA doesn’t get a significant investment, we’re worried that they will be pushed to cut service again to balance their budget — just like what happened last fall.”

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MATA Head:Trolleys Have Set Stage For Success in First Year

In three weeks, it will have been one year since the Main Street trolley line has been revived, and the head of the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) said it’s met nearly all expectations so far.

President and CEO of MATA, Gary Rosenfeld said since the steel-wheel trolleys returned to the tracks after a four-year absence, there have been no real issues with the line. The five-car system has been running “smoothly” — other than one trolley car that hasn’t been able to be revived and put into service yet, he said.

“All and all the system is running pretty well for what we’ve been through,” he said. “It’s setting the stage for future successful years of service.”

The main issue is keeping those using the trolleys and those around it safe, Rosenfeld said. One precaution he advises pedestrians on the Main Street Mall to take is to avoid wearing headphones while walking near the trolley tracks: “We want everybody to be safe.”

There are red and white signs on the Mall instructing pedestrians to yield for the trolleys.


Ridership has been as expected, Rosenfeld said.There have been approximately 372,000 boardings since the service was reinstated on April 30th of last year.

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Rosenfeld said that number is in the “range of expectation,” and that he anticipates it rising in the summer months.

“We’ve certainly had respectable ridership,” Rosenfeld said. “It’s demonstration that the Main Street line is viable and that more lines will be viable in the future. The community has accepted the trolleys.”

As for the future, Rosenfeld said the goal is to bring back the Madison and Riverfront lines at some point. However, he said MATA has had trouble securing a vendor for trolley parts. That’s a “critical point in the flow chart,” Rosenfeld said.

“Until we get passed that critical point in flow chart, we’re not going to go one way or another,” Rosenfeld said. “The cars have to be refurbished or we’ll find some other method.The critical issue with the trolleys since the beginning of the recertification process has been safety.

“We’re not willing to compromise safety and we’re not going to sign a contract for the sake of signing a contract.”

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New Ad Hoc Committee Looking to Secure Funding for MATA

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Justin Fox Burks

A hotel/motel, ride-hailing services, and green tax were among the future funding options for the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) discussed at a new ad hoc transit committee’s first meeting Tuesday.

The city/county committee, chaired by former Memphis City Councilman and Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr., also includes county commissioner Tami Sawyer, MATA’s CEO Gary Rosenfeld, Tom Needham of Shelby County Public Works, Innovate Memphis’ Suzanne Carlson, and Justin Davis of the Memphis Bus Riders’ Union (MBRU).

Tuesday, members of the MBRU presented several options for raising the additional $30 million Rosenfeld said MATA needs to improve its service and add an additional 200,000 hours of bus service.

Davis said the MBRU wanted to “open the conversation, keep it broad, and think outside the box” with “progressive” ideas that haven’t already been proposed, such as adding a tax or levying a fee on ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft — a move that the group cited has been successful in other cities, such as Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

Other new proposals included a hotel/motel tax, rental car tax, and a green tax on carbon and cigarettes.

Davis said it’s important to look at solutions that are won’t “put the burden on backs of bus riders who are already spending most of their money on transit.” That’s why the bus riders’ union knocked previously proposed options of a sales tax surcharge, calling it “regressive.” The group believes this would disproportionately affect low income households.

MBRU also feels that Ford’s proposed transportation utility fee, which could yield up to $60 million a year, might be “unpopular with low income households.” Going forward, the transit committee will start looking at how much money each of the options would generate.

“It’s really nice that we’re at this point where the city and county are talking concretely about what are some things we can do to raise enough money to make MATA a good service,” Davis said.

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MATA Postpones Vote on Service Changes

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Justin Fox Burks

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) board is postponing its vote on a set of service changes until after it assesses public feedback.

The MATA board of commissioners was originally set to vote on the proposed changes this week, but Nicole Lacey, MATA’s chief communications officer said the staff needs more time to review feedback collected at recent public meetings.

The vote is now scheduled for Thursday, October 25th at 3:30 p.m. at the MATA headquarters. If the board approves the service changes, they would now not go into effect until Sunday, December 9th.

Ahead of the October vote, Lacey said an updated list of service changes will be posted to the MATA website.

Originally, MATA proposed to make changes to about 30 routes. Some of the changes included limiting service on nights and weekends, as well as reducing frequency on certain routes.

The agency also planned to eliminate seven routes, including 31 Firestone, a demonstration route introduced last year to serve New Chicago in North Memphis.

Justin Davis, along with other members of the Memphis Bus Riders’ Union (MBRU) expressed concerns over the initial proposals, as they would have left areas like New Chicago, Boxtown, and Northhaven with “essentially have no transit service at all.”

“Memphis needs to have a wider conversation about how to fund transit that will fully serve the community’s needs,” Davis said. “A lot of people’s livelihoods are at stake.”

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MATA Official Says Rapid Bus Route Would Improve Whole System

A Memphis City Council committee Tuesday approved the closure of one lane on Second Street and one on BB King Boulevard as part of the city’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

John Lancaster, director of planning and Title VI officer at the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) said that bringing a BRT route to the city would be a “slam dunk.”

The area that the route would serve links the key corridors in the city, Lancaster said. “It would benefit everybody in the city from a transit perspective.”

“This improves the whole network,” Lancaster said. “Of the heart, Poplar and Union are like the main arteries. You improve that and you improve the whole system.” Poplar and Union would be part of the BRT but would not get lane closures. 

John Zeanah, director of the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning & Development told the council committee that buses would come every three to four minutes on the route, which would run north and south on Second and BB King, and east and west on Union and Poplar, connecting Downtown to the University of Memphis. 

Zeanah said the buses would use the far-right lanes southbound on Second and and northbound BB King between Union and A.W. Willis.

Councilman Worth Morgan asked how the dedicated lanes would affect traffic, parking, and unloading on the two streets. Zeanah said the transit-only lanes wouldn’t inhibit the on-street parking area and curb parking for unloading on either street.

Morgan also asked how the rules for the new configuration would be enforced in order to keep automobile drivers out of the bus lanes. Zeanah said there would signage and striping on the street signifying the bus-only lanes.

Manny Belen, director of the city’s engineering office, said the locations of the stops along the route haven’t been defined yet and that the city will work with stakeholders along the streets to determine the best place to position stops so that they won’t interfere with business deliveries along the corridor.

Belen adds because the current traffic volume on Second and BB King is below capacity, he doesn’t foresee traffic issues arising with the proposed plan.

The full city council, along with the Tennessee Department of Transportation commissioner must approve the dedicated lane before the plan is implemented.

Don’t forget to tell us what you think.

Does Memphis need a rapid transit service from Downtown to the University of Memphis?

Yes, that’s a great idea.
Maybe, I’m on the fence.
No, funding for it could go to more vital routes.

MATA Official Says Rapid Bus Route Would Improve Whole System

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New Rapid Bus Route Could Mean Permanent Lane Closures on Second, BB King

One lane on both a portion of Second and BB King Boulevard could soon be dedicated solely for bus traffic, as the city prepares to introduce its first bus rapid transit (BRT) system.

A Memphis City Council committee will vote Tuesday on whether or not to allow for one transit-only lane southbound on Second and one northbound on BB King between Union and A.W. Willis.

The BRT route would run along Second, BB King, Poplar, and Union, connecting Downtown to the University of Memphis. No transit-dedicated lanes are planned for Union and Poplar.

Under state law, closing a lane for transit use has to be approved by both the local governing body and then the Tennessee Department of Transportation commissioner.

What are your thoughts?


Does Memphis need a rapid transit service from Downtown to the University of Memphis?

Yes, that’s a great idea.
Maybe, I’m on the fence.
No, funding for it could go to more vital routes.

New Rapid Bus Route Could Mean Permanent Lane Closures on Second, BB King

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Bus Riders Concerned With MATA’s Proposed Service Cuts


The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is proposing service cuts this fall that would affect almost 30 routes, and Memphis bus riders aren’t happy.

Pending a vote by the MATA Board of Commissioners, seven routes will be eliminated, including the 31 Firestone which was a demonstration route implemented last year. When MATA created the Firestone route, Justin Davis of the Memphis Bus Riders’ Union (MBRU) called it a “big victory” for the residents of New Chicago in North Memphis. The route restored service to North Memphis that was lost when the 31 Crosstown route was discontinued in 2013.

Now, Davis said New Chicago will “essentially have no transit service at all.” Another route set to be cut that concerns the union is the 5 Central which services the University of Memphis area. But, according to MATA the university will be served on a redesigned 50 Poplar route.

Others routes being eliminated include those that service Shelby Farms Park, Whitehaven, Boxtown Westwood, and Northaven.

“MBRU is really concerned about just how much service will be cut in MATA’s proposal,” Davis said. “People rely on many of these routes to get out of their neighborhoods for work, medical care, and fresh groceries.”

Apart from eliminating routes, MATA is also planning to cut many weekend and late-night trips, as well as reduce the frequency of several routes.


For example, MATA’s proposed cutting Saturday service on the 13 Lauderdale and 17 McLemore routes in South Memphis, Davis said.

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“Put all that together, and MATA’s plan will remove a huge amount of service from working-class neighborhoods and majority-black neighborhoods — all at once,” Davis said. “What does this mean for bus riders? If these cuts go through, bus riders will lose jobs, drop out of classes, and lose access to their vote.

“For many people in Memphis who don’t have cars, transit is the key to their livelihoods. And if we want create more thriving neighborhoods, we can’t keep cutting them off from the rest of the city.”

Officials with MATA say all of the changes are meant to stretch the agency’s limited funding as much as possible, while focusing on serving the most efficient routes. 

The MATA board will vote on the set of services changes at their next meeting on Thursday, September 27th at 3:30 at the MATA headquarters. If approved, the changes will go into effect on Sunday, November 11th.


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Transportation Fee Could Yield $60M a Year


A new transportation utility fee could generate up to $60 million a year, an expert told Memphis City Council members Tuesday.

Council member Edmund Ford Jr. introduced the idea of such a fee during a meeting two weeks ago. The fees could generate revenue to be used to fund the underfunded Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) and road infrastructure projects, Ford said.


The transportation fee would be tacked on to utility bills and would be based on the number of trips on Memphis roads generated by individual properties. The rate would differ for commercial and residential properties.

When council members returned to the discussion Tuesday, they heard from Wayne Gaskin, a former city of Memphis engineer. He said there are many different ways to structure the rates, and said different options could produce revenues ranging from $30 to $60 million a year.

[pullquote-1] Based on the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ national standards, Gaskin said each month a large church could generate up to $6,300 in additional revenue, a sit-down restaurant up to $500, and a fast food restaurant anywhere from $125 to $1,000.

The council could opt to base the rates on types of commercial properties, as well as allow some residents to only pay a portion of the fee based on factors like income.

“There will be a lot of give and take when it comes to setting the rates,” Gaskin said. “I can’t emphasize that enough.”

Gaskin said the council, with community input, will have to hash out the specific details and amounts of the fees implemented in Memphis.

“It has to be something that is developed jointly,” he said.

Councilman Worth Morgan said he still has some “major questions” about the fee, such as how the funds will be dispersed. 

Ford said the council will continue the conversation at its meeting in two weeks.

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City Council Looks to Implement Transportation Utility Fee

The Memphis City Council is looking to implement a transportation utility fee to fund roadway and transit projects.

Councilman Edmund Ford Jr. said the fee would be used to fund roadway improvement projects, such repairing curb and gutters, as well as support the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA)’s new transit plan.

“I think it’s time for us to look at ways that we can garner enough funds that we don’t rely so much on property taxes,” Ford said. “I know we’re not in the phase of putting the ordinance together, but I think the discussion is important if we’re serious about funding MATA, as well as making sure public works has what it needs.”

The fee would be tacked on to Memphis Light, Gas and Water bills and would be similar to the stormwater fee, Wayne Gaskin, former city of Memphis engineer told the council. The residential and non-residential rates would be based on the amount of trips a property generates and could range from $4.75 to $15. Gaskin said the fee could generate more than $30 million in revenue each year.

This revenue will be used to offset the costs of road projects and create a dedicated source of funding for MATA, Ford said.

Last month, Robert Knecht, director of Public Works, told the council that the city doesn’t have dedicated funding for street improvement projects, such as fixing sidewalks. With more funding, other improvements such as switching to LED traffic signals could take place. To implement all of the roadway improvements currently needed citywide, Knecht said it would cost $60 to $80 million.

To upkeep sidewalks only, it would cost an additional $19 million a year.

The city is currently on an approximate 25-year street paving cycle, Knecht said. This means on average all 8,816 lane miles of street will get re-surfaced at least once every 25 years. Knecht proposes a 20-year cycle, which would cost another $8 million a year. A 10-year cycle hikes the cost up by another $50 million.

Ford plans to draft a resolution for the transportation fee and present it to the council in two weeks.

“I think it’s a true example of finding a way to be creative, while making sure that people are paying their fair share,” Ford said. “About 310,000 cars come through the city of Memphis every single day.”