Are fast buses the future of mass transit in Atlanta?

Fulton County officials recently traveled to Los Angeles to tour the bus rapid transit system. L.A. Metro’s El Monte Station, a two-story facility with 29 bus bays, shows what a bus rapid transit station can look like.

Fulton County officials recently traveled to Los Angeles to tour the bus rapid transit system. L.A. Metro’s El Monte Station, a two-story facility with 29 bus bays, shows what a bus rapid transit station can look like.

When people think of mass transit in Atlanta, they usually think of MARTA – especially MARTA's passenger rail service.

But another kind of mass transit has captured the imaginations of the region’s public officials.

Bus rapid transit is like a MARTA line on tires instead of rails. Passengers board at stations, not bus stops. The vehicles make few stops, and they usually travel in dedicated bus lanes or on highway express lanes like the ones already under construction across metro Atlanta.

Perhaps the biggest selling point: Bus rapid transit lines are relatively cheap and can be built much faster than a new rail line.

Learn more about bus rapid transit - and where you may see it in the next few years – at myajc.com.

MYAJC.COM: REAL JOURNALISM. REAL LOCAL IMPACT.

The AJC's David Wickert keeps you updated on the latest in what's happening with transportation in metro Atlanta and Georgia. You'll find more on myAJC.com, including these stories:

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Mayor Kasim Reed says it is his vision to expand Marta, combat traffic issues, add affordable housing and prevent crime.