Atlanta — Fare Up; Riders Down

February 2016

The AtlantaCurbed site reports that when the new Atlanta streetcar system began charging $1 fares, ridership dropped significantly.

Atlanta Streetcar ridership fell for January, 2016 by about 66 percent from 64,448 to a preliminary 21,818 compared to January, 2015, shortly after startup. (Granted, it was the shiny new thing back then). Ridership is expected to grow in warmer months, but the loss of riders is substantial.

There was better news for the streetcar also. In response to FTA warnings, the city strengthened program staff, after a period of high turnover, and added security officers to ride on cars. Mayor Kasim Reed recently wrote a letter stating that the streetcar is a safe and affordable transit option for people downtown.