Judge upholds MARTA's decision to privatize paratransit service

A Fulton County judge has upheld MARTA’s 2015 decision to outsource its paratransit service to a private company.

Superior Court Judge Shawn Ellen LaGrua overturned an arbitration board ruling that the MARTA had violated the terms of its union contract by hiring MV Transportation to provide transit services to the disabled and elderly. Last year the arbitration board ruled the transit agency had to bring paratransit operations back in-house. But MARTA appealed that decision to Superior Court.

In a decision issued Monday, LaGrua ruled that MARTA was within its authority to privatize its paratransit service even though that power is not specifically spelled out in its contract with the Amalgamated Transit Union.

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In other Transportation news:

5 things to know about Metro Atlanta transit expansion 1. Georgia lawmakers are discussing ways to boost public transit funding as Atlanta competes for Amazon's HQ2. 2. In Clayton County, MARTA has a detailed plan for proposed bus routes and a future rail line. 3. By the end of 2018, there will be more than 50 new miles of express toll lanes in metro Atlanta. 4. The Cobb/Cherokee Northwest Corridor project will feature 30 miles of reversible lanes, with 39 new bridges. 5. Georgia spends about $14.5 milli

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