MEMPHIS, Tenn — After a morning full of emotions, expletives and accountability, the Memphis City Council approved a complete replacement of the former Memphis Area Transit Authority Board.
“I’m trying to make this city what it should be. I don’t want to go behind anymore, I’m tired. I’m tired. Y’all may not be tired, but you better start getting tired because I’m going to call everybody out,” said Council member Edmund Ford Sr.
The new board members include:
Brandon Arrindale
Cynthia Bailey
Emily Greer
Sandi Klink
Brian Marflak
Jackson McNeil
Anna McQuiston
Dana Pointer
Maya Siggers
A main point of criticism the new board faced was their understanding of MATA's services. When asked how many of the new members had ridden a bus over the past two years, only two of the nine raised their hands. City Council members then urged the board to ride those buses in the near future.
But according to Memphis Mayor Paul Young, these new members have a diverse range of voices, including experience with FedEx, finance, and advocacy.
“Transportation is a necessity, especially for people with disabilities,” said Sandi Klink.
Klink had only been in retirement for roughly a week before Young approached her to help tackle the issues at MATA, revealed to include staffing shortages, fleet condition and spending priorities.
“It’s pretty bad, and it’s always been pretty bad. When I was riding MATAPlus, you’d sit online for 30 to 45 minutes to make a reservation three or four days in advance,” said Klink. "The answers will be found."
According to a report presented Tuesday to the Memphis City Council by consulting firm TransPro, customer satisfaction has plummeted at MATA. In 2018, Transpro said roughly 75% of MATA riders were satisfied, but over the next six years, that number dropped to 38%.
The main culprit has been placed on how the routes at MATA are being run. Around 36% of buses are late, and even if they do show up at the correct time, riders must wait longer than they would hope for another bus to come.
According to TransPro's report, half of the 24 routes MATA only have stops once an hour, and in some cases, once every two hours. John Lewis with Transpro said no other transit authority in the country has these wait times.
In addition, out of the 98 buses MATA has, 90 of them require some form of engine repairs.
“We’re all up to the challenge, the citizens deserve great transit, and that’s what we’re looking to provide,” said Mayor Young.
A difficult road lies ahead for the new MATA board. TransPro had 27 different recommendations to improve the transit authority, but five were highlighted to help in the short-term.
Those recommendations include:
Align service delivery with design,
Fix and replace fleet
Hire and train operators
Address financial crisis
Pause capital investment
For now, Mayor Young said the main task ahead of the new board will be to tackle the approaching layoffs and route cuts at MATA. Young told ABC24 talks were underway to potentially push the cuts from happening until after the holidays, going from Nov. 3 in 2024, to Feb. 3 next year.
“And in order for us to ask for them to pause those cuts, we need to figure out where we can dig deep and find some resources to allow them to extend the timeline before they make those cuts,” said Young.
The Memphis City Council is still awaiting answers on MATA's financial future, but according to Lewis, this likely will not happen until November. Part of this is due to MATA's inability and unwillingness to answer several questions for the consulting firm.