C-TRAN buses too crowded, unsafe, Clayton told

Clayton County’s public buses are overcrowded to the point of being unsafe, MARTA’s general manager said Tuesday.

It’s going to take at least six more buses, along with new drivers and additional routes to satisfy Clayton residents’ needs, MARTA General Manager Beverly Scott said. MARTA operates 22 buses through C-TRAN, the county’s public transportation system.

“I’m talking about really overcrowding on a regular basis,” Scott said Tuesday. “We’re seeing more than 70 people get off a bus that holds only 48-52. … But if the county wants more buses, they’re going to have to fund it.”

County Commission Chairman Eldrin Bell said the county is seeking state and federal grant money to address the bus problems, but some of it likely will have to come from county funds. Bell said he is unsure how much money would be needed to fix the bus system, which is owned by Clayton.

The Clayton County Commission was scheduled to hear Scott’s suggestions on fixing the county’s bus woes Tuesday, but delayed her presentation. Instead, the commission heard from more than a dozen residents, complaining about dangerous conditions on the county buses.

The majority of the residents who spoke Tuesday said they would be willing to pay a higher fare for better bus service.

“On many mornings, I have at least 15 people over the yellow line standing right behind me,” bus driver Nichelle Phillips told the commission. “When people get angry, they get angry at us and I’m concerned about all of our safety.”

Phillips said her bus is so crowded that she sometimes has to drive past some stops, leaving customers to wait 30 minutes to an hour for the next bus.

For Mary Knolton, that means waiting an hour and being late for work.

“I just start with a bad day when I get on that bus,” said Knolton, of Forest Park.

Other residents complained about fights and threats on county buses, along with a lack of service to some areas.

Marsha Lawton, who is in wheelchair, said she can’t drive and depends on the county’s transit services. But the nearest stop is a mile and a half from her home, which means she has to find a ride to the bus stop.

“It makes me not have my independence,” she told the commission. “Look through the eyes of someone like us. Not all of us are blessed and can walk and drive.”

Lawton said she had to turn down a job offer because she didn’t have transportation.

About 61 percent of Clayton’s bus riders use the service to get to work, Scott said. Another 10 percent use it to get to school.