Overview
Public transport in Atlanta is operated primarily by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, known to everyone locally as MARTA. Locals simply say "MARTA" — calling it "the MARTA" will mark you as an out-of-towner. The system is composed of heavy rail, light rail, and local bus services, and it operates primarily within the boundaries of Fulton, DeKalb, and Clayton counties.
MARTA's heavy rail network is the eighth-busiest rapid transit system in the United States, running on 47.6 miles (76.6 km) of elevated, ground-level, and underground tracks and serving 38 stations. Despite this, most Atlanta commuters choose to drive: 2022 census estimates show that of workers commuting within the city, about 68% drove alone, 8% carpooled, and only 5% used public transportation. For visitors, though, walking and public transit are well suited to getting around, since the major downtown neighborhoods are quite walkable and many attractions are easily accessible from public transit.
Riding end to end is straightforward. You pay your fare with a Breeze Card, Breeze Ticket, or tap-to-pay at the fare gate, board your train or bus, and ride. Rail service runs from 5:00 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., including weekends and holidays, and buses run from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m., also including weekends and holidays. Trains run roughly every 20 minutes from 5–6 a.m., about every 15 minutes from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and about every 20 minutes after 7 p.m.; on weekends and holidays they run about every 20 minutes all day. Periodic track maintenance can cause single tracking, closures, and delays, so it is worth checking service updates before you travel.
The network
MARTA's heavy rail system is the backbone of the network. Trains serve 38 stations on four service lines: the Red Line, Gold Line, Blue Line, and Green Line. All four lines meet at the Five Points station, located in downtown Atlanta, which makes it the key interchange for your journey. MARTA trains are operated using the Automatic Train Control system, with one human train operator per train present to make announcements, operate the doors, and to operate the trains manually in case of a control system malfunction or an emergency.
Many of the suburban stations have free daily and paid long-term park and ride lots, as well as kiss and ride passenger drop-off areas.
MARTA's bus system serves a wider area than the rail system, including areas in North Fulton, South DeKalb, and Clayton County. As of 2017, MARTA has 550 diesel and compressed natural gas buses that cover over 101 bus routes. All bus lines stop at at least one heavy rail station, so you can combine bus and rail legs in a single trip. While Cobb County is not part of the system, MARTA operates two bus routes there, one serving Cumberland Boulevard Transfer Center and the other serving Six Flags Over Georgia. In addition to the free parking adjacent to many rail stations, MARTA also operates five park and ride lots serviced only by bus routes: Windward Parkway, Mansell Road, Goldsmith, Barge Road, South Fulton, and Riverdale. The Panola Road Park and Ride lot is jointly operated with GRTA.
The Atlanta Streetcar system opened at the end of 2014 and has been operated by MARTA since July 2018. The streetcar is a 2.7-mile loop that operates primarily in mixed traffic in the downtown area. It runs from Centennial Olympic Park along Edgewood and Auburn avenues to the King Center and has a stop at MARTA's Peachtree Center station.
Several other localities in the metro area operate local bus services. CobbLinc and Ride Gwinnett used to also offer commuter bus service connecting their local services with Atlanta; on June 16, 2025, those commuter services were incorporated into Xpress, along with a series of service cuts due to budget constraints and low ridership. The Georgia Transportation Efficiency Authority, a state-level entity, oversees the Xpress bus system. Xpress operates 15 regional commuter bus routes connecting outlying cities and towns to Downtown and Midtown Atlanta.
University shuttles round out the picture. Emory University operates The Cliff shuttle bus system with over 50 buses, 21 routes, and 200,000 rides per month. The Georgia Institute of Technology operates the Stinger shuttles, providing service around its campus, the Midtown MARTA station, and neighboring communities.
Atlanta has no ferry service as part of its public transport network.
Tickets & fares
MARTA uses wireless Breeze Cards to store your fare. Fares and pass prices below are approximate and change, so check current prices before you travel.
- Single ride: $2.50. Children 46 inches and under ride free, up to two per adult; height markers are posted at fare gates, vending machines, and bus/rail doorways. The fare includes transfers.
- Breeze Ticket: $1 for a single-use ticket.
- Breeze Card: $2 for a reloadable card, which you can reload online, at Breeze Vending Machines, or at RideStores.
- Multi-trip: round trip $5.00; ten trips $25.00; twenty trips $42.50.
- Passes (unlimited rides on consecutive days, ending at midnight of the last day): 1-Day $9.00; 2-Day $14.00; 3-Day $16.00; 4-Day $19.00; 7-Day $23.75; 30-Day $95.00.
Transfers are generous: MARTA fares include up to four transfers per trip, allowing bus-to-bus and bus-to-rail (and vice versa) changes without additional payment. Transfers require using the exact same payment method — for example, the same debit card or Breeze card — for each leg; bank cards and mobile wallets linked to the same account are treated as separate payment methods and incur extra charges. Transfers apply only to one-way bus and train trips, not round trips, and do not apply to the Atlanta Streetcar. Transfers are available to riders using Breeze cards, tickets, and tap-to-pay.
Other regional operators have their own fares, which are separate from MARTA's: CobbLINC is free or low-cost and includes two transfer centers (Marietta and Cumberland), nine local routes, a free Circulator route, and a Microtransit zone; Ride Gwinnett starts at $1.25 and offers local bus, microtransit, and paratransit in select parts of Gwinnett County; and Xpress, the regional commuter service, starts at $3.00 and carried more than 1.8 million passenger trips pre-pandemic.
For planning, the MARTA On The Go app, Google Maps for bus stops, the MARTA website for schedules, an interactive map and station arrival times, and the MARTA Service Twitter feed for delays and cancellations are all useful tools.
From the airport
Atlanta's principal airport is Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport (ATL), about 8 miles (13 km) south of downtown. Known to locals as "Hartsfield–Jackson," "ATL," or just "the airport," it has been the world's busiest airport since 1999, serving more than 107 million passengers in 2018. It has 192 domestic and international gates and covers 4,700 acres (1,902 ha) with five parallel jet runways, and it is a major hub for Delta Air Lines and a focus city for Southwest Airlines.
MARTA heavy rail is the public-transport link between the airport and the centre of the city. Because all four rail lines converge at Five Points in downtown Atlanta, you can ride from the airport into the centre and change there for destinations across the network. Your $2.50 fare includes transfers, so a bus connection after your train ride does not require an extra payment as long as you use the same payment method for each leg.
Etiquette & customs
Atlanta's transit system is used by a relatively small share of commuters, so cars dominate the roads and rush hour is lengthy — expect trains and buses to be busiest at the standard morning and evening peaks, and plan around them where you can.
- Queuing: Wait for passengers to exit before you board, and line up at the doors rather than crowding them.
- Escalators: Stand to one side so that people in a hurry can pass; keep your luggage close to you.
- Priority seating: Seats near the doors are intended for older riders, pregnant passengers, and people with disabilities. Give them up when someone needs one.
- Eating and drinking: Keep food and drink consumption modest and tidy, and take your rubbish with you.
- Rush-hour behaviour: Move into the carriage rather than blocking the doors, keep backpacks and bags out of the aisle, and have your Breeze Card, ticket, or tap-to-pay method ready before you reach the fare gate.
- Transfers: If you are changing between bus and rail, use the exact same payment method for each leg — otherwise you will be charged again.
Official links
Survival terms
Atlanta's transit system operates in English, so the key terms you will see and hear are the local names and abbreviations rather than foreign-language words.
- Subway/metro: MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) — the heavy rail system, also called "the train."
- Ticket: Breeze Ticket (single-use) or Breeze Card (reloadable).
- Line: Red Line, Gold Line, Blue Line, Green Line.
- Entrance: station entrance / fare gate.
- Exit: exit / street level.
- Transfer: transfer — up to four are included per trip, but only with the same payment method.
- Single fare: $2.50 per ride.
- Day pass: 1-Day pass, $9.00.
Buy a reloadable Breeze Card at the start of your visit, load a multi-day pass onto it, and always tap the same card for every leg so that your included transfers are not charged twice.