MARTA Customers Stranded Without Buses, Notice

ATLANTA -- MARTA transit customers are furious after 12 bus routes were either canceled or delayed Friday without any notification.

One woman said she and others had been waiting for the #24 bus for nearly an hour in below-freezing weather. The stop was crowded with riders headed to the East Lake MARTA train station to get to work and school, but the bus never came.

”I am furious regarding MARTA’s treatment of people that depend on them, DeKalb County resident Jewell Jackson said.

Another woman at the stop said she got sick of waiting and called MARTA to find out what the problem was. She said she was told that they were not sure if the bus would run because of a manpower problem.

”I said, ‘What the…?’ rider Wanda Kendricks told Channel 2’s Rebecca Lindstrom.

MARTA spokesman Lyle Harris told Channel 2 that some buses were not dispatched due to a ”staffing challenge.

Riders said they had to catch a cab or walk nearly a mile to the next route.

”We started to walk. I was furious, Kendricks told Lindstrom.

Kendricks said she and others spread the news to others they saw along the way. She said she has dealt with MARTA bus no-shows before, and she’s not sure it won’t happen again.

”We take the bus because we don’t have any other mode of transportation and it felt like MARTA did not care, Kendricks said.