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Memphis Area Transit Authority

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Memphis Area Transit Authority
Founded1975
HeadquartersMemphis, Tennessee
Service area280 square miles - 706,976 population [1]
Service typePublic transit:
bus
trolley
Routes35 bus, 3 trolley
DestinationsMemphis, Germantown, Bartlett, and Lakeland, Tennessee
Fuel typeDiesel (for buses) Electric (for trolleys)
Chief executiveGary Rosenfeld
Websitewww.matatransit.com

The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is the public transportation provider for Memphis, Tennessee. It is one of the largest transit providers in the state of Tennessee, MATA transports customers in the City of Memphis and parts of Shelby County on fixed route buses, paratransit vehicles, and the MATA Trolley system. The system is managed by a seven-member policy board appointed by the mayor and approved by the Memphis City Council.[1]

History

The system was formed in 1975 to service the greater Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee area. MATA is run by a general manager and a nine-member board of commissioners, appointed by the Mayor of Memphis and approved by the Memphis City Council.[2] The transit agency operates 240 buses, mostly Gillig Advantage low-floors (both diesel and diesel/electric hybrids) on 35 routes. In the past, its roster included GM TDH-5300 and TDH-4500 "New Looks" and Flxible 40-102 New Look series (carryovers from its predecessor prior to MATA's formation), AM General 40 ft., MAN articulateds, the RTS series from GM, TMC and NovaBus, Neoplan artics, and NovaBus LFS low floors buses. The RTS series were MATA's preferred fleet of choice, having been used in its lineup from February 1980 until its retirement in April 2010, when the six remaining 1994 NovaBus versions were replaced with the Gillig Advantage Hybrids. MATA hopes to shift to a hybrid fleet in the future.[2]

Service

Operations

Rail

Main article: MATA Trolley

Initially opened in 1993, the Main Street Trolley Line uses classic streetcars on a system that has grown to three routes: one along the riverfront, another serving Main Street in the heart of downtown Memphis, and an extension on Madison Avenue. The Madison Avenue line opened in 2004,[3] as the initial stage of a light rail system that would connect downtown Memphis with the Memphis International Airport and eventually to regional transit service beyond the MATA service boundaries.

Service was replaced by buses after two trolleys caught fire in late 2013 and early 2014. After nearly four years, the Main Street Trolley Line was reinstated in 2018.[4]

Bus

Main article: List of MATA Bus Routes

MATAplus

MATAplus is a shared ride paratransit service designed to meet the transportation needs of persons with disabilities in the Memphis service area. The service covers the same area as the MATA bus system and operate during the same days and hours as the fixed-route bus system in the same area. The service area extends three-fourths (3/4) of a mile beyond the fixed-routes, which means that anywhere beyond the area mentioned can not qualify for MATAplus services.[5] Two types of services are offered through MATAplus: Advance/Demand Response, which allows riders to book reservations in advance, and a subscription service that allows riders to use the service to take them to their destination and back.

On-Demand

Ready! by MATA is an on-demand service launched in August 2021. It is a one-year pilot program that was implemented as a part of Transit Vision. Ready! serves the neighborhoods of Boxtown, Westwood, and Whitehaven. Reversation works similarly to ride hailing services, but payments can be made through the GO901 app or in-person with cash. Fares are the same as fixed route buses. Ready! operates Monday-Saturday, 6am-7pm.[6][7][8]

Groove On-Demand is an on-demand service launched in February 2021. It serves Downtown, the Medical District, New Chicago, and President's Island. Groove uses an app using Via's software.[9][10]

Ridership

In 2020, MATA served a total of approximately 3.4 million passengers. Of those passengers, approximately 100,000 were from the trolley system and 120,000 were from MATAplus. [11]

Transit hubs

Name Parking Location Coordinates Notes
William Hudson Transit Center 0 444 North Main Street 35°09′23.5″N 90°02′52″W / 35.156528°N 90.04778°W / 35.156528; -90.04778 Serves as the chief hub of the system and main transfer point for all downtown routes
Central Station 0 545 South Main Street Serves as a southern transfer point for routes 12, Riverfront Loop Trolley, and the Main Street Trolley as well as the connection point for Amtrak in Memphis
American Way Transit Center ~35[12] 3921 American Way 35°04′33.7″N 89°55′58.7″W / 35.076028°N 89.932972°W / 35.076028; -89.932972 Serves as a suburban transfer location for routes: 7,8,22,26,30,36, and 69
Airways Transit Center ~92[13] 3033 Airways Boulevard Serves a southern transfer point for routes: 4,12,28,30,32, as well as Greyhound and Megabus
Madison Park-and-Ride Lot ? Madison Avenue at Claybrook Street Serves the nearby routes 2, 42, and route 500.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b "Inside MATA - About Us | MATATransit.com". www.matatransit.com. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  2. ^ a b MATA website.
  3. ^ "Madison rail line to open March 15". Memphis Business Journal. March 11, 2004. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
  4. ^ "Trolleys Return to Main Street at End of April". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  5. ^ "Service Area - MATAplus | MATATransit.com". www.matatransit.com. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  6. ^ "Ready - Ready! | MATATransit.com". www.matatransit.com. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  7. ^ "MATA to Launch Curb-to-Curb Transit Service, Ready! by MATA". localmemphis.com. July 30, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "MATA rolling out Ready! transportation service to Memphis neighborhoods Monday". WREG.com. August 2, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  9. ^ "Groove On-Demand". Downtown Memphis. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  10. ^ "New on-demand public transit service Groove On-Demand launches in Memphis". Via Transportation. February 3, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  11. ^ "Monthly Module Raw Data Release". www.transit.dot.gov. Retrieved October 5, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  13. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  14. ^ "MATA System Map-November 2020" (PDF). matatransit.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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