Coming to Emory University as a first-year student meant embarking on a new chapter of my life – without a car. But, I was not afraid — I was confident that Atlanta, a bustling metropolis, would have a state-of-the-art public transit system to whisk me away wherever I wanted. Before arriving on campus, I searched online for my transportation options. I found that my best option to travel outside of Emory’s campus was at a bus stop for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) station across from Woodruff Circle. I began imagining taking the bus to Piedmont Park for a picnic beneath the Atlanta skyline or the train up to Buckhead for window shopping at fancy boutiques. Yet, whenever I expressed to any seasoned Emory student a desire to travel by MARTA, I was always met with a disappointing response. They told me MARTA was too slow, disconnected and dangerous. I imagine you have heard these criticisms, but after using MARTA myself, I find it has proven itself to be the opposite.
Less than a month into the year, I knew rideshare apps were not a sustainable option to access Atlanta. Costs quickly began adding up for these rideshares — it cost roughly $25 for a one-way ride to The Masquerade, Atlantic Station and Lenox Square around rush hour, excluding tips. As Uber and Lyft were holding my bank account hostage, I boarded MARTA for the first time in October, going against everything I heard about Atlanta’s public transportation.
Part of the college experience is exploration — discovering what lies beyond campus so that one can learn how to be a better citizen of that community — and we, as students, should not be weighed down financially to experience that part of our education. Thankfully, MARTA does not impose that burden: A MARTA ride totals $2.50 for three hours of travel, including four free transfers. One can navigate the entire city for less than the price of a coffee. MARTA helps me explore Atlanta without worrying about money. Rather than fork over money for rideshares, I want Emory students to acknowledge MARTA as a transportation option and lift that financial weight from their own shoulders.
MARTA’s low prices initially attracted me to public transportation, but people’s criticism of MARTA’s lengthy wait times complicated my perception of the Woodruff Circle stop. There is no denying that MARTA is slower than ridesharing, but when traveling inside the Atlanta perimeter, delays are typically only 10 to 20 minutes. These delays may not be ideal, but the money saved in the process outweighs the consequences. Furthermore, people have often told me that MARTA is not expansive enough and that riders may have to trek several miles to their destination even after reaching their bus stop. While someone may not arrive directly in front of their intended destination after taking MARTA, most major attractions in Atlanta are only a short walk from a MARTA stop, such as Little Five Points and the Fox Theatre. If we, as Emory students, can endure the 10-minute walk from the Cava in Emory Village to the Emory Student Center, the short walks from MARTA bus stops do not pose an unfamiliar challenge.
While longer travel times may not be the biggest issue for many, I have had trouble reconciling with MARTA’s safety issues, even after I began regularly commuting through MARTA. I have grown used to seeing people experiencing homelessness on Atlanta’s public transportation, and I have previously encountered riders having mental health crises at MARTA’s bigger stations.
For those who have never lived in a city, I understand how these conditions may bring unease. However, as of September 2024, there have only been roughly five crimes per one million unlinked passenger boardings on the MARTA system. Compared with Chicago’s top-ranked public transit system, the “L,” which experiences roughly 13 crimes per one million riders, the public transit system in Atlanta is safer. MARTA’s low crime rates indicate that you are statistically unlikely to become a crime victim and should expect a safe ride.
Moreover, feeling discomfort on public transportation is something that all Emory students should experience before graduating. The median annual income for an Emory student’s family hovers around $140,000, with 58% of the student body coming from the top 20%.
Atlanta’s public transportation is by no means perfect, but that is exactly why you should experience it — in the spirit of applying knowledge in the service of humanity, Emory students should use experiences in MARTA stations to put our education to use. For those entering the healthcare industry or public service sector, we must better understand the communities we are preparing to serve.
You do not have to fall in love with MARTA — all I ask is that you give it a chance and recognize that the benefits outweigh the shortcomings of this system. I hope you board a bus at the stop by Woodruff Circle and have the opportunity to see where MARTA can take you, and also where you can take the Atlanta community. A more efficient MARTA system is possible only when we use our ridership to show that there is demand for expansion. I do not want Emory’s future classes to continue to worsen the cycle of overspending on expensive rideshares by being scared off from MARTA without using public transportation themselves. A better way to immerse ourselves in Atlanta is already waiting for us, but the opportunity is only there if we recognize it.
Contact Josselyn St. Clair at jmstcla@emory.edu
