MARTA chief talks about cuts

By Tom Sabulis

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Fearing bankruptcy, MARTA last month announced it would cut 40 bus routes, close station restrooms, eliminate the shuttle to Braves games and increase wait times between trains.

If it wasn’t for an improving sales tax forecast, it could have been worse.

Sipping coffee outside Lindbergh station recently, MARTA CEO Beverly Scott talked about the cuts and how regional cooperation on transportation — fueled by a sales-tax referendum in 2012 — could help Metro Atlanta.

Q: What is the toughest part of these cuts for you?

A: The hardest part has been the immediate impact in terms of people: 54 percent of the people who use our service are going to and from work; 12 percent on a daily basis are going to and from school; 46 percent of the people who use our service on a daily basis say that if there’s no MARTA they don’t have another way to make those trips.

Q: When you took over in 2007, did you ever imagine it coming to this?

A: I did not. No I didn’t. I did not realize the extent of the systemic funding issues at MARTA.

Q: Are you talking about the politics?

A: The politics is one part of it; that part I pretty much knew. Quite candidly, I was hearing about a surplus, although the amusing part about that was, I walked into a budget that was actually being balanced using $21.35 million in reserves. This agency has been eating off of operating reserves for 10 years, over 10 years, since 1998.

Q: I live on the #12 bus line and a lot of buses go by empty at night. Is this what you target when you cut service?

A: Yes, you do. But there is such a heavy level of transit dependency in the system, with people who have no other choice. They’ve got to have coverage. Literally, they will say don’t cut a day [of service], even if you tell me it’s going to take an extra hour.

Q: If you had trimmed sooner, would it have helped?

A: Some people may think MARTA can just flip a switch and eliminate bus routes overnight, but that’s not the case. Because we receive federal funds, there’s a time-intensive public process we’re required to follow before we can do that. We have absolutely taken action over the past several years to address nonproductive services. Just this past year, we totally eliminated several bus routes and cut back on the hours of operation for almost 20 others.

Q: Have you heard from the Braves about canceling the free shuttle to the baseball games?

A: Yes. In fact, we had a very good meeting. We’re going to try to work with them to see if there aren’t some ways that they could wind up doing some things for the next season.

Q: To keep the shuttle?

A: They would have to find ways where they would really finance that operation.

Q: One AJC reader asked recently, why doesn’t MARTA keep the shuttle and just charge money for it?

A: It is illegal for us to surcharge. The federal government made a change in what they call the charter regulations, and we cannot surcharge for service. Private-sector bus services around the country have said, it is unfair for public transit systems, which get about 80 percent of the buses paid for by the federal government.

Q: How much will the regional transit tax help if it’s approved?

A: What it gave us in the short term, because it is very flawed, was to be able to wind up essentially having about half the cuts that we would originally have had to have, because of the flexibility we were able to get.

Q: How is it flawed?

A: I have to be very clear, it has major flaws in it. It is fundamentally unfair, in terms of how MARTA has specifically been treated in it. The legislation, HB 277, says none of the new tax money can be used to pay for operations of the current MARTA system. It is morally wrong to have MARTA singled out to be treated differently than any other transportation entity in the state. It is also shortsighted. This is a $6.4 billion, largely public investment in a core public transit system. Why would we want to starve the heart of what is the regional system? It is absolutely shortsighted and ill-advised. If we don’t fix those flaws, it will cause significant problems for the entire region when we request funding at the federal level for transportation.

Q: MARTA critics say there’s too much overhead.

A: I would say go to the facts. On any set of performance metrics, this system, and particularly the rail system, is one of the most cost-effective and efficient in the United States. We have the ninth-largest transit system in the country, and my operators have the 132nd highest wage rates. Right now, you have mechanics in Gwinnett County for a 100-bus system that are making more than our mechanics are over here. It fascinates me that, almost to the point of demagoguery if you will, that this complete misinformation that’s out there. Just go with the facts.

Q: You think the referendum for the sales tax will pass in 2012?

A: I’ve been in places where they have held referendums. Three of them were successful; one was not. Usually the public really gets it, but you have to explain the vision, so people can understand. You got to be able to be real clear with folks about what the numbers are. We have to answer the questions: Who is going to implement the [regional] program? How are you going to get the work done?

Q: As we come up to 2012 and we vote on this, you see a separate managing entity emerging?

A: Hopefully, we will have a credible organization out there, that people can feel comfortable with, that has the track record to be able to deliver.

Q: So regional cooperation is key?

A: The only way we’re going to actually wind up getting a regional system that works is not by having a whole bunch of fragmentation, balkanization and lack of one-stop shopping for customers. That is not the way.

Q: Are you planning to be here and part of that?

A: I’m hoping. We have such an opportunity in front of us but, to be successful, we’re going to have to do it together. The parochialism needs to get out of it.