Tag: Memphis Area Transit Authority

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MATA Provides Safety and Security Updates at Board Meeting

Photo: Memphis Area Transit Authority via Facebook

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is working to improve the safety experience for both passengers and drivers, while also working to engage with local law enforcement on safety preventions.

Keith Watson, chief safety and security officer, presented his first safety assessment at the agency’s recent board of commissioners meeting, and said upon his presentation he looked at several areas within MATA such as the safety risk management combined with their “best practices.”

Watson said the organization is split into two categories: fixed route operations and rail operations. Fixed route operations are those that occur on the “surface” on roadways of the city, while rail operations are “more regulated” than the fixed routes.

When looking at the rail operations, Watson concluded there were 31 corrective action plans (CAPS) from 2020 to 2023 for MATA. He said these are plans to address risk factors identified as a result of accidents or other safety incidents. Watson and his team were able to address these plans and reduce the number to 11 for August 2024.

In terms of fixed route operations, some of the areas that MATA identified for extra inspection were the GPS reporting and radio systems that are on each bus called “EQUANS.” Watson said these provide location reporting and time point placement.

“We talk about on-time performance, and I’ve heard many of my colleagues mention that some of the time points were not properly reporting to EQUAN. We’ve been working through that,” Watson said.

He added that they plan to invite EQUAN to their meeting so they can have a “grassroot understanding of the things that are happening for their overall safety and locating of [their] buses.”

Some other observations made to evaluate fixed route operations were facility and infrastructure inspections, route assessment, fire safety and evacuation practices, and safety prevention campaigns.

“We must remain consistent on those particular programs and engaging with our employees to have a safety culture over the overall system,” Watson said.

This ushered in a conversation on crime activity at their transit centers located on Main Street (William Hudson Transit Center), American Way, and Airways. Larceny and simple assault were the only crimes reported at all three locations and accounted for many of the offenses compared to disorderly conduct, robbery, and trespassing to name a few.

“Hudson Center, for the year, is reported with most incidents with Airways coming in at a close second,” Watson said.

He added that only some crimes make it to “paper” via their reporting center. Watson said he believed there were 94 reports made, with  operator and passenger disputes accounting for 40 of those.

“Those disputes usually stem from bus arrival/departure times, location of the bus pickups, and some personal preferences on where a passenger would like to get off outside of the revenue lane,” Watson said.

MATA has also been reviewing security footage to look for individuals that could pose a threat to the transit experience by committing crimes that are “punishable by state or federal law.” They’ve begun the process of placing “Be On The Look Out” flyers while also engaging with security contractors and local law enforcement.

The presentation closed with an overview of their safety performance in crashes where 51 percent were non-preventable, and 49 percent were preventable. A majority of these crashes involved fixed objects, with sideswiping coming in second.

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MATA Commissioners Authorize $1 Million Insurance Plan

Photo: Justin Fox Burks

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) has authorized an insurance plan nearing $1 million during their July 30th board of commissioners meeting. This decision comes as questions still surround the organization’s financial status.

MATA recommended the global insurance brokerage Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. for their plan starting through August 1, 2024, through July 31, 2025. Officials said the premium is an excess of $992,000. They said this is reasonable “based on today’s market” and is “very important for the company.”

“It’s an expense that MATA incurs every year,” an official said. “Obviously the amount differs each year. In view of MATA’s current cash flow circumstances, this is a very significant expenditure — just as any expenditure close to $1 million would be.”

Board chairman Michael Fulton expressed his concern with a policy totaling almost $1 million given the agency’s $60 million deficit.

Hamish Davidson of J.S. Held LLC, MATA’s external CFO, said as recently as Tuesday, he consulted with the city of Memphis and said MATA expected to raise an invoice against the city to “draw down against the operational grant funding” up to $1 million to cover the plan.

Shortly after gaining approval for the insurance plan, the agency informed its board that they are preparing to present one of its “most consequential budgets of MATA’s history.” 

Officials decided to forego a traditional finance report as their finance team is working on the year-end closeout which they plan to present in August. They said this will show how the organization fared for the year. 

The board of commissioners were presented with a draft of the budget, but it was not available to the public for review.

“We felt as though it would be important to put a draft of this budget in front of you,” interim CEO Bacarra Mauldin said to the organization’s board of commissioners. “We’re not going to discuss it in any detail today because we plan to have a very robust finance committee meeting, and we want to make sure you are armed with as much information as possible going into that process.”

Mauldin said they have the opportunity to balance their budget for the first time in a “considerable” amount of years. She said she is honoring her commitment to present a balanced budget to the board.

In June, the city of Memphis allocated $30 million to the organization for FY25. Shelby County gave MATA $1.2 million, which Mauldin previously said was “consistent with where they’ve been for the past few years.”

At the end of budget season, Davidson told commissioners that he would present a timetable that addresses the current and future state of their budget.

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Bus Riders Fearful of Potential MATA Budget Solutions

Photo: Justin Fox Burks

As the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) works to fix problems in their budget, bus riders are afraid that potential solutions for the agency will negatively impact service for citizens.

Johnnie Mosley, founding chairman of Citizens for Better Service, stated on Friday, July 12th, that his organization along with the Memphis Bus Riders Union received word that MATA administration met with bus drivers about the possibility of layoffs and service cuts.

MATA pledged to be more open and transparent with their ridership about changes affecting service, which Mosley said has not changed. However, he believes that both riders and drivers are concerned for the future.

“We’ve been reaching out to various drivers. We reached out to the union to see if we could get any verification or answers,” Mosley said. “In the meantime, we’ve been in close communication with Representative Justin J. Pearson, and we’re trying to figure out whether there are resources or money that the state could have to get MATA out of this situation.”

Following this comment, Erik Stevenson, chief of strategic partnerships and programs for MATA, released this statement:

“With staff and riders, we must consistently share that MATA faces a significant budget deficit resulting from years of increasing costs, decreasing ridership, and flat funding. In August, we’ll begin a thorough engagement process to assist us with the tough decisions that must be made to optimize our transportation system. To maintain our pledge to provide a balanced budget, all options have to be on the table.”

MATA’s interim CEO Bacarra Mauldin reported in her June 2024 CEO report that there is currently a hiring freeze despite their recruitment focuses on a number of open positions such as mechanics and trolley and fixed route operators. She said they are trying their best to “manage with the staff they have.”

In May, the transit authority revealed they had a $60 million deficit, and was “committed to increasing revenue and refining [its] process of spending.”

During their June budget proposal hearing in front of Memphis City Council, Mauldin said their biggest expenses are wages and fringe benefits as they have to offer competitive compensation packages. She also said MATA needed more mechanics, operators, and buses for their fixed routes and MATAPlus services for citizens with disabilities.

They also said a large amount of their budget would go towards installation of the Memphis Innovation Corridor, the first bus rapid transit service in Memphis.

While MATA has presented ways to refine their budget and spending, many riders are unhappy with some of their proposed solutions. Citizens like Mosley fear that the agency may resort to changes that would negatively affect their ridership.

Mosley alluded to the agency’s controversial proposed winter service changes that were presented in 2023. These changes included suspending service after 9 p.m. and suspending a number of routes. MATA’s board ultimately decided to nix these proposals after poor reception from the public. 

After advocating on behalf of citizens while these proposals were on the table, Mosley said he hopes that the agency doesn’t resort back to these solutions in hopes of fixing their financial issues.

“The question is: Where are they going to cut?” Mosley said. “We don’t want those cuts to [affect] underserved areas. We don’t want the same plan the board rejected in December. We need MATA to come up with plans on how to increase ridership.”

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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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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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County’s $2.5M Allocation for MATA to Fund Three New Projects

CREDIT: Facebook/MATA

Facebook/MATA

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) will receive a $2.5 million investment

from the county that will go toward implementing parts of the Transit Vision plan, including a transit on-demand model for two areas. 

The Shelby County Commission voted 9-4 Monday in favor of a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Tami Sawyer to allocate the funds.

MATA CEO Gary Rosenfeld presented a spending plan for $2.5 million in capital improvement funds last week, which he says will be used to implement parts of the Transit Vision plan — a piece of the comprehensive Memphis 3.0 plan, the guiding document for how the city moves forward over the next several years.

“As we move to the next step in the evolution of this pandemic, we will be using the Transit Vision plan to re-tool the network as we come out of this,” Rosenfeld said. “This is kind of a positive outcome of the pandemic, if you will. We are able to move in the direction of starting to put the transit vision in place.”

Rosenfeld said the county’s $2.5 million will be invested in three projects. The first is a demand-response system for two areas, Boxtown/Westwood and the Downtown entertainment district.

Rosenfeld said in the Boxtown/Westwood area, the ridership count doesn’t suggest that there should be a complete fixed-route service. But the demand-response model will improve residents’ opportunity to get to public transportation and provide service in an efficient manner, Rosenfeld said.

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The model will work similar to Uber, allowing people to call in and get picked up at their house, transporting them anywhere within a certain zone or connecting them with the transit network.

In the entertainment district, MATA plans to provide a similar service. Rosenfeld said employees in this district often cannot catch a bus home because their shifts end long after the buses stop running. With the new service, employees in the district will be able to call in and be picked up and driven home.

Rosenfeld said the endeavor for both areas will require seven vehicles, which will cost a total of $500,000.

MATA also plans to put $1 million of the county’s investment into a mini transit center near Third and Brooks. Rosenfeld said the center will house four to five bays and will meet the need of new routes in the Transit Vision Plan.

Lastly, Rosenfeld said MATA will provide the local match portion for the $75 million Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, which is mostly funded by federal grants. The BRT would be a high-frequency route from Downtown to the University of Memphis.

Rosenfeld said all three areas of investment are “highly visible” and would “greatly enhance everyone’s access to public transit in the future.”

The Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH), which has long been advocating for more funding for MATA, commended the county commission’s decision to allocate the $2.5 million.

“Both now and as our regional economy begins to heal, our public transit system is critical,” said Ayana Watkins, executive director of MICAH. “It matters now for essential workers and residents who depend on public transit for food, supplies, and health care. And it will matter as we all begin returning to work and school en masse.”

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Samantha Bradshaw, co-chair of MICAH’s economic equity task force said the county’s investment is a “hopeful recognition that the county intends to keep transit a top priority to encourage a restored and more equitable local economy.”

“Memphis Transit 3.0 needs to keep on track to ensure the many Memphians who don’t have access to better paying jobs have an equal shot at a job that supports their families at a dignified level,” Bradshaw said.

MICAH also urges the city to reconsider its “drastic reduction” to MATA funding of $10 million, noting that public transportation has been underfunded for decades, “unable to maintain service levels from year to year, much less afford the needed upgrades to make it a truly viable system.”

Bradshaw encourages the city to prioritize funding for MATA so that “the planned improvements of Memphis Transit 3.0 can enable all residents to have equitable access to jobs, education, necessities, and the full scope of all this city and county has to offer.”

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Bus Riders Union ‘Understands’ Need for Service Cuts, But Worries About Access

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Justin Fox Burks

Though understanding the need for the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) to reduce its service amid the spread of coronavirus, a spokesperson for the Memphis Bus Riders Union (MBRU) still worries how the cuts will limit people’s access to necessary locations in the city.

MATA announced last week that it would be reducing its service in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the community and the number of businesses across the city that cannot currently operate, due to orders by the mayors of Shelby County and Memphis.

Justin Davis, secretary of the Memphis Bus Riders’ Union, said the group understands MATA’s need to adjust its service hours and coverage for public health reasons.

“We want to be sure that drivers and other transit workers are getting the support they need,” Davis said. “But these changes are also going to have an immediate impact on bus riders who can’t work from home, or who don’t have access to resources in their own neighborhoods.”

For example, Davis said key routes for many like the 19 Vollintine, which runs from Downtown to East Memphis passing through North Memphis neighborhoods, or the 35 S. Parkway, which runs from South Memphis to Highland to Summer, have effectively been cut until further notice.

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Davis said he is also concerned about the limited number of destinations for MATAplus paratransit service. The service is currently available from 4:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. every day, but will only transport passengers to work, medical care, grocery stores, or other essential businesses.

Davis said this list of locations excludes some designated as essential by the city’s order.

“We have to consider how people without cars are going to access basic services and maintain their livelihoods moving forward,” he said.

Initially, MATA said that the agency would operate its Sunday schedule, along with a few additional routes to essential services on a daily basis until further notice. This includes 17 routes.

After receiving feedback from bus riders indicating that the reduced service excluded access to certain essential services, MATA added three more routes on a modified schedule to its reduced service plan.

“When we first announced reduced levels of service, we were focusing on routes that were considered essential,” said Gary Rosenfeld, CEO of MATA. “But we heard from some customers today and decided that we needed to add three more routes to try to be as responsive to their needs as possible.”

However, Rosenfeld said MATA is “responding to the reality of resources.”

“With ridership dropping and knowing several businesses are not operating at this time per current executive orders, we are making decisions with the information that we have at the time,” he said. “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we will likely make more adjustments of service and we are requesting that employers be as flexible as possible as well.”

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Make MATA Free: Improve the Lives of Thousands of Memphians

(Photo: Justin Fox Burks)

Last spring I found myself in a position of unimaginable privilege. For the first time in my adult life, I had a car that worked and was paid off. No weird rattles, squeaking brakes, bald tires. I hate the term “adulting” for philosophical reasons, but it was one of those times in my life that made me think “so this is what it’s like.”

Then I started anticipating the inevitable break-in, wreck, or other misfortune that would set me back again and put me in my cosmic place. “Just watch,” I’d say. “Something’s going to fall out of the sky and land on my car because I don’t deserve this.”

A month later, as a chunk of road debris hurtled toward my windshield on I-40, I thought, “Well, there it is.”

Justin Fox Burks

What’s the MATA?

The damage turned out to be minor, but being virtually carless for a couple weeks reminded me how difficult it is to thrive in Memphis without a vehicle. My home and my office are two miles apart, putting me on the road a grand total of 10 minutes a day. I know I have it easy. But I tried to plot a bus route home from work and MATA’s trip planner told me “LOL, walk” — which I did, a couple times. And let me tell you, it sucked! If that’s more optimal than the bus, we’ve got a problem with the bus.

I can shrug and catch an Uber, but someone who has to schlep across town for a $7.25-an-hour job does not have that luxury. The bus ride from Whitehaven to Downtown takes about an hour one-way, not including the wait. Anyone who doesn’t have access to a car has their opportunities limited by the number of hours in a day. I’m heartened by the county mayor’s commitment to transit equity, and I’d love to see MATA viewed less as the nuisance in the right lane on Poplar and more as a reliable way to get around. Improving and expanding service are obviously high priorities for increasing ridership, but there’s one more way to get people to hop on.

The New York Times last month published a story about a growing trend in cities that have seen bus ridership increase up to 60 percent. All they had to do was waive the fare. Should Memphis try something similar? Yes, it sounds counterintuitive, as the city and county look to infuse more money into MATA, not less. But public transportation can’t work unless it’s an option for everyone, versus the only option for some. There are two ways to do that: Make it convenient, and make it affordable. $1.75 a ride seems affordable, until you factor in the time investment and the fact that $70 a month does not fit everyone’s definition of “affordable.”

“Oh, but who will pay for it?” Let’s just get this out of the way: the same people who pay for every other public good. I have little patience for those who bristle at paying for services they don’t use, as if we could allocate our taxes to the projects we care about. I don’t have kids, and my house hasn’t burned down yet, but here I am, still dutifully paying for schools and the fire department. If you live in Cordova and have never seen a bus, I’m sorry to hear it — but you chose the Germantown Parkway lifestyle, friend. And you’re contributing to the road congestion and pollution that better public transit would solve.

Actually, that makes a pretty good case for a toll. How about, say, $1.75 each way for commuters on 240 and 385? While cities that waived bus fares saw an increase in ridership, they didn’t see a decrease in the number of cars on the road. This is because people who ride the bus generally don’t have cars. Such is the case in Memphis, where bus riders typically live in poorer neighborhoods. Why should they pay to be part of the solution?

In addition to the wheel tax the county commission is considering, there are other car-centric ways to fund free transit. On any given day in Midtown, the city could make a boatload ticketing cars parked illegally on the street — too close to the corner, in no-parking zones, in front of fire hydrants. Maybe some incentives could encourage businesses to dig in and support a transit fund. Who knows? It’s not impossible to make transportation a right, not a privilege.

Jen Clarke is a digital marketing specialist and an unapologetic Memphian.

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Bus Rider Union: Rapid Bus Route ‘Long Overdue’ Here

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Justin Fox Burks


A leader of the Memphis Bus Riders Union said a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line is “long overdue” in Memphis.

Officials announced earlier this month that the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is receiving a $12 million federal grant to create a rapid bus line here.

The $12 million Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant will partially fund Memphis’ Innovation Corridor, an eight-mile stretch between Downtown and the University of Memphis.

The BRT line, dubbed mConnect, will be the first in the region.

Proposed BRT route


Justin Davis, organizing coordinator for the MBRU said “it’s really important that we’re talking about changing the city’s infrastructure to accommodate transit better and making it easier to use with new stops and new technology.”

However, he said many bus riders are frustrated that most of the recent efforts to improve the city’s transit have been focused in Midtown and Downtown.

“We still have many neighborhoods where service is so unreliable and inaccessible that people can’t even get to Midtown or Downtown in a reasonable amount of time,” Davis said. “Midtown and Downtown already have the most reliable service. We need high-frequency service going north to south and bus routes that directly address the needs of low-income folks, people of color, and people with disabilities.”

Davis said many parts of the MATA system still need “significant repair.” There need to be more conversations about finding a dedicated funding source for MATA. Dedicated funding will give the system “stability,” he said, making the network “better for everyone, not just the people who will benefit from this BRT line right now.”

At a community meeting on Monday, officials revealed details for the project to the public looking to gather feedback. The public has until December 2nd to comment on the project.

Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2021 with service beginning in 2024.

Here are some other preliminary facts about mConnect:

• The route will include 30 modern transit stations that are well-lit, covered, and ADA accessible

• Buses will arrive every 10 minutes during peak hours.

• All of the buses will be electric and equipped with vehicle health monitoring, collision avoidance, and predictive maintenance technology.

• WiFi will be available at the stations and on-board.

• Dedicated bus lanes will be created on portions of B.B. King Boulevard and Second Street.

• Buses will have traffic signal priority along the route.

• Other features include mobile ticketing, automated voice announcements, and real-time security cameras.

Officials seek feedback at public meeting Monday


The total cost of the Innovation Corridor is $74 million. The largest portion of the funds, $39 million, are federal dollars. Another $12 million comes from the BUILD grant, $18.5 million from the city, and $4.5 million from the state.

Memphis’s project is one of 55 in 35 states to receive a portion of the 2019 U.S. Department of Transportation’s $900 million BUILD grant.

The Innovation Corridor was identified as a potential high-capacity transit corridor by a 2004 MATA study. The study, Midtown Alternative Analysis, looked at transit needs and the potential to provide a higher quality service within Midtown and surrounding neighborhoods.