Monday, January 21, 2013
Transit MARTA unveils five-year plan to make transit system sustainable
Posted by Jordan Friedman on Mon, Jan 21, 2013 at 5:41 PM
- Joeff Davis/CL File
- Transit agency to consider five proposals this year to help solve financial woes
The 38-page plan presented at Friday's briefing offers a five-year road map for improvements to MARTA's business model. The plan includes 12 "transformation initiatives," five of which MARTA is expected to consider this year.
Transit officials hired KPMG last year to examine its operations. CL reported in September that the firm found MARTA's current financial model to be "unsustainable" and would require the agency to cut $25 million each year.
In addition to some revenue-generating projects, the transit agency will look at potentially outsourcing some departments, including payroll, human resources, and paratransit operations, according to KPMG's plan. The transit agency is finalizing the hiring of several project managers who will "do nothing but think, eat, sleep and breathe the entire transformational process" in the five-year period, MARTA CEO Keith Parker said.
He said that once the changes take place, officials can discuss the creation of a "bigger and better MARTA." And possibly asking the state to help fund the system.
"But first, we have to get a sustainable MARTA," Parker said, adding that he hopes the agency can avoid hiking fares in the upcoming fiscal year.
The recommendations are not final and must be approved by MARTA's board.
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