MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A week after Memphis Mayor Paul Young installed a brand new board over the Memphis Area Transit Authority, new board members suspended cuts and fare implementation that had previously been approved.
Before the meeting agenda was read, MATA interim-CEO Barbara Mauldin read an email from Young requesting the administration suspend the fare increase, layoffs and route cuts until Feb. 3, 2025 while the new board attempts to greater understand the issues facing the transit authority.
Young committed to the board that his administration would work with city council to identify additional funding for MATA.
Board members then approved two resolutions that suspended the fare implementations and prior cuts approved by the former board until Feb. 3, 2025.
The cost of those delays is estimated to be in the region of $5 million, most of which would go to wages.
According to a report previously presented to Memphis City Council members 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
Mauldin said during Tuesday's meeting that the authority is working with Transpro on almost a daily basis on how to improve service.
ABC24 reporter Steffen Reals contributed reporting to this story.
