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Riding the line: Memphis and the need for public transportation

Years of underfunding have brought the Memphis Area Transit Authority to the tipping point. How can everyone get on the same bus? 

by Katherine Burgess

September 30, 2024

Years of inadequate funding and poor management have finally reached a tipping point for the Memphis Area Transit Authority. 

On Tuesday, the agency voted for a restructuring, including eliminating five fixed bus routes. 

City leadership seeks to find out how the agency – owned by the city of Memphis and governed by a board of commissioners nominated by the city mayor and approved by the Memphis City Council – ended up here. 

Council members have expressed distrust in MATA leadership and Memphis Mayor Paul Young has approved two audits. MATA officials have said that leadership turnover and a lack of a chief financial officer made them unaware of just how dire the financial circumstances were. 

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What is known is that for years, MATA leadership has asked the city for more funding and expressed concern about the transit agency’s longevity. And, year after year, city officials declined to provide additional funding or only provided a fraction of what MATA officials said was needed to maintain service. Voters, too, have had a role: When presented with a chance to raise millions for the transit agency, Memphians voted down a gas-tax referendum. 

Transportation advocates and riders said all this points to a lack of urgency around what they consider a critical need for a thriving city and working-class Memphians without personal vehicles. More than 25,000 households in Memphis don’t have access to a vehicle, according to Innovate Memphis. 

“The bus is to get you to work, get you home, get you to go visit your family. You might wanna go Downtown, to Beale Street, to the river, that’s what the bus is for,” said bus rider Michael Carruthers. 

Johnnie Mosley, founding chairman of Citizens for Better Service, pointed to how the city recently came up with millions in funding for the fire and police departments at the last minute during the most recent budget season. 

“If the city can do that for our fire department and our police department, they should be able to do it for the people who depend on the buses,” he said. 

MATA now faces a two-pronged problem: How to survive and, if it survives, how to move from shrinking further to growing into an adequate transit system. 

The latest MATA news

FAQ

How can I plan a trip using MATA?

The MATA Tracker is available online and includes details of when buses are diverted or not in service.

Where can I use on-demand MATA services?
  • MATAPlus is a shared ride paratransit service for people with disabilities. Riders must apply for MATAPlus service. 
  • Ready! Has two zones, one in Southwest Memphis and another in Northaven/Frayser. Rides can be requested by installing the Ready! By MATA mobile application or calling (901) 322-0466. 
  • Groove On-Demand serves downtown, the medical district, South City and New Chicago. Rides can be requested via the Groove On-Demand mobile application or calling (901) 763-8422.

Come, take a ride with us

Despite becoming famous for his work during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was not a Montgomery bus rider. He knew he didn’t have to be to get involved. “But I would be less than a Christian if I stood back and said, because I don’t ride the bus, I don’t have to ride a bus, that it doesn’t concern me,” he said…

by Adrienne Johnson Martin